The Red Widow
by The Noble Rot
Summary: Before they went megaton, before they laid waste, before they brought down the fire upon the heads of a room full of FBI agents in a second-rate casino in Vegas and wiped out over half of them, before they fell one by one in a blaze of glory...they lived.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He slept deeply under the cheap sheets, bought on clearance at Family Dollar three years ago. An anemic bar of light from the pulsing sign across the street lay on his face, the only source of illumination in the otherwise bleak and shabby one-room apartment. All the gilding of an unremarkable life lay around him in almost artistic heaps and drifts. Overflowing ashtrays, empty pizza boxes, dirty dishes, even dirtier magazines. Every cheap and nasty accoutrement imaginable lay haphazardly dashed right to the corners and under the bed. And this…this was a perfect snapshot of Hollis Elmore's life.

A truck rumbled past outside, rattling the windows. Hollis snorted in his sleep. The half-empty bottle of bourbon he cuddled to his chest like a teddy bear slipped from his grasp. It never reached the floor. And that's when his eyelids fluttered. Somewhere in his primal brain he knew that there should have been a crash. But in his drunken, unclear state it took him a full three minutes to open his eyes. And by that time the gun was already pressed to his head. It was the shock of cold steel that fully woke him.

"What the fuck?" he grunted, blinking.

"Shut up."

The voice was low, husky, female. Hollis froze, trying to see the face of his attacker, trying to figure out which side of the bed she was even on. There was a soft sigh, a shifting, and the sound of drinking. A heavy swallow, then another. The click of what was presumably his bourbon bottle being set down. The right of him…she was somewhere to the right of him. Damn it, he couldn't even see. The gun was withdrawn, but an ominous feeling in his stomach told Hollis that it was definitely still trained upon him in the blackness. The chair beside his bed creaked.

"Wh-who are you?" He whispered, "Look, whatever you're being paid to be here…"

The woman made a soft sound of derision.

"You'll what, exactly? Double it? No, I don't think so. I'm not an assassin. Nothing of the sort. Besides, you haven't got a damn thing I want. No one sent me. I came here of my own accord to settle a _very_ sizeable debt."

Hollis wracked his brains, the last vestiges of the previous night's drunken haze vanishing in the adrenaline rush of mortal fear. The light snapped on suddenly, shocking his eyes.

A woman sat in the chair by his bed, one hand on the light switch. Her other hand held a 9mm pistol pointed at his head. Her hair was the first thing he noticed, a mass of screamy red curls that might be attractive if they were looked after. Her clothing was unremarkable, plain. She wore no makeup. No jewels that he could see, apart from a plain silver wedding band on her left hand that caught the light. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, in that uncertain in-between time where it is impossible to fix an exact age on a woman. He stared at her face, her hair, trying like hell to place her. She leaned back in the chair and watched him, face impassive. God, those eyes. Something in those haunted, steady eyes…. He looked away, focusing on the gun.

"What the hell do you mean, a debt? You've got the wrong man, lady. I lead a quiet life. My crazy days are way behind me. I've paid back every fucking DIME of my gambling debts!"

"Hollis Elmore. Lowlife, would-be assassin, petty thief, hoodlum, demented fool who crawled out of the chill waters of Lake Tahoe gasping and shaking like a fish evolving lungs with which to breath. Forced, bloody evolution! Oh Christ, that's hilarious…God." She passed a hand briefly over her eyes, trembling. Hollis shifted on the bed and her hand came down immediately, the gun rising in a significant gesture of aggression.

"_This bitch is batshit insane,' _Hollis thought, sitting back. His eyes flicked from the gun to her pale face, back to the gun.

"I don't have the wrong man. I spent six god damn years searching for you. I can assure you…it was worth every moment of hell just to be sitting here now. Yes. You owe me a debt. But it's not something you have the power to repay. Not even with your life," She drew a shaky breath and continued, "Six years ago you took something away from me. Something precious and dear and rare. You killed a man. You killed a man who had a wife. A family. People who relied on him –"

"NO! No, now I KNOW you've got the wrong guy!" Hollis violently shook his head, holding up his maimed hands in supplication. "I swear to God, lady! You said it yourself, I'm a WOULD-BE assassin! I never went pro! The men I ran with in my wilder days, the men who were breaking me into the business, they were all killed on the same day I lost my fingers! Some filthy stupid rednecks took us all out before we even had a chance to perform the contracted hit! Hell, we didn't even make it to the hotel! Well…I mean, they didn't. My friends."

The woman's jaw clenched. Tears filled her eyes, and rage shook in her voice.

"Filthy…stupid…rednecks, Hollis?"

And then it dawned on him. Hollis had, in fact, killed one person. Just one. One in his whole life. He moaned, covering his mouth with the stumps of his fingers.

"Oh shit. You…you're…" he looked at her left hand again, at the wedding band, and he slowly shook his head, "You're his widow. That skinny fucker had a wife."

The woman didn't even react to the insult this time. She nodded, the tears spilling down her cheeks.

"People call me the Red Widow." She said softly, sadly. "And before I kill you, I'm going to tell you what you took from me."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The cottage by the sea was a hell of a lot more attractive in the brochures than it was in person. But Red hardly cared at this point. It was cheap. It was remote. It was available. And she was too tired to do more than shove the sticky, ancient key into the door and shoulder it open. It was raining outside, a freezing cold kind of rain that spat down from the sky and insulted her flesh. She shuffled in, shut the door behind her and opened her coat. A disgruntled black and white cat tumbled out, thumping down on the chilly floor with a soft sound of disapproval. He glared up at his human and she pursed her lips, sighing.

"I know, alright? But it's all we've got. Go on now. Explore. It's supposed to have two bedrooms and a bathroom. That should keep you busy for thirty seconds."

The cat wandered over to the empty fireplace, sniffing at the puddle of sooty rainwater that lay beneath the open flue. Red glanced around, setting the keys down on the stained Formica table. She took off her coat and sat down in a cheap folding chair. Cold, alone, hungry, and damn near penniless.

"Well," she grumbled, "I'm home."

There wasn't much time to give over to the luxury of self-pity. Annoyed but determined to make the best of it, Red opened the backpack she'd brought from the car and drew out a bag of cheap cat food, a few cans of soup, a few candles, two books and a single bar of soap. And that was it. She was done unpacking. Everything else had been left behind. The cat heard the promising rustle of the food bag and trotted back into the quickly darkening room. Outside, a peal of thunder rattled the windows and shook the ground. A gust of unpleasantly cold, damp air puffed through the thin wall. Red winced, rising to her feet.

"I'm sorry, Bandit. Sorry for all of this. You deserve better, honey. But hell, we're here. We've got each other and that's what counts. I'll find a way to feed you and keep a roof over our heads even if we have to live in a dumpster behind a Petsmart."

As she spoke, she opened up the cupboards in the pathetic hope that the previous occupants might have left something behind. The search was not completely in vain. A few chipped bowls, some plates, two badly water-spotted glasses and some jelly jars. The drawers revealed a can opener and an assortment of rusty silverware. And in the very back of one of the warped, rickety cupboards stood a lonely can of cling peaches in light syrup. Red drew it out as though it were the Hope Diamond and set it in the center of the table to admire.

"Little miracles, eh Bandit?" She sighed softly, feeling disproportionately better, and set about trying to make herself comfortable.

An hour later the cottage was beginning to take shape. Red lit a candle and began to move about, finding everything and anything she could use to provide comfort, to make it livable. The first priority was heat. She could not afford to have the lights or the gas turned on yet, and it was cold and wretched inside and out. She knelt down by the fireplace, mopping up the puddle with a filthy towel she found under the sink.

Wood. She needed dry wood and plenty of it. On a dark, cold, wet, stormy night…she needed dry wood.

"Hell." Red muttered fatalistically, and gave up the idea of a cozy night by the fire. Wrapping herself in a thin silvery emergency blanket from the car, dressed in her warmest clothing and her jacket, she sat at the table in the shivering candlelight and consumed her first meal in the new house: stone cold soup right from the can, a few gulps of rusty tap water, and a can of cling peaches in light syrup. Then, taking Bandit's warm bulky body inside her coat for comfort, she lay down on the sagging sofa and petted him, gradually falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Red was awakened by the sound of gunfire. It was unmistakable. How? She was in the middle of nowhere! On the coast, in a cottage with no listed neighbors for miles in any direction. But she'd lived in the city before, and her instincts reacted to the sound.

"Mehhuhh!" she grunted sincerely, a sound she had never heard herself make before, and rolled gracelessly to the floor. Bandit scooted from her arms and whisked away under the sofa. Red crawled to the window, bleary-eyed and shaking, and peered over the sill.

At the top of the hill to the east, a figure could be seen standing against the sky. In his hand he held a weapon, some kind of automatic rifle whose make and model were impossible to discern at such a distance. Red stared at him, stunned. He wasn't in police gear or military fatigues, no riot shield or bullet-proof vest. Nothing about the distant figure looked official. In fact, he looked like a good old boy in jeans and a loose white t-shirt. He shot off another burst of staccato gunfire, then turned as though listening to someone. After a moment, he vanished over the rim of the hill again, and was gone.

Red stayed on the floor for a little while, feeling annoyed and nervous. Who was that man? Why was he on the hill so close to her cottage with a machine gun? Did he know she was there? Where the hell was the property line? Was he a trespasser? A neighbor? Someone hunting on public lands?

"Who the hell hunts with an assault rifle? Are there _rhinos_ here?" Red demanded of no one in particular. Shaking, she got to her feet. She had no weapons…a fork, maybe, in a pinch. Bandit was useless of course. He wasn't exactly a Rottweiler. Who was that man, damn it? Red had come to this place to get AWAY from people!

She wanted to go over the ridge. She wanted to see what was up there. A hidden militia base, maybe. A shooting range. Anything. She paced a bit, looking out at her battered car in the driveway. That man up there…he had to know she was here. He was gone now though. At least, he wasn't at the top of the hill any longer. Still, it bothered her all morning.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Noontime brought another cheerless meal, a can of soup and rusty tap water, and a deeper exploration of the garage. Red was relieved to find a cache of tools, old clothes, blankets and other such detritus that the previous occupants of the cottage had deemed unworthy of salvage. She carried it all inside in trips, then carefully cleaned and sorted everything into piles. The water here was free, and so she was able to wash clothing and bedding in the bathtub and hang it up outside on an old clothesline to dry. She cleaned and swept the cottage, every single room, and opened the windows to the rainy chill to air out the musty scent. Bandit clambered up into the window in the bedroom, pressing his nose to the screen to sniff at the exciting new fragrances wafting in from the forest, the meadow, the thundering sea.

Red smiled at him as she made up the narrow double bed with worn sheets and woolen blankets softened from their fresh washing. She'd found them wadded into a hold in the garage, and they had taken three long soakings to make them serviceable, but now they smelled fresh and felt soft to the touch.

"It's coming together, by and by. A place to sleep, a place to eat, and a place to hide the car. Later on I'll get some wood. There's an ax outside in the shed. I've never used one, but I've seen it on television. How hard could it be?"

The cat gave no answer of course, but Red knew he'd be glad of the warmth soon enough when night fell.

* * *

The day wore on. Red worked unbelievably hard, and finally she was ready to cut the wood. Bring it in maybe. Light a fire and heat up her soup this time. She was slightly concerned…only 8 cans of soup remained. About two weeks' worth of cat food, too. She would have to figure out a way to feed herself and Bandit, a way that did not involve using identification or traveling far. Odd jobs perhaps, or maybe working as a farm hand somewhere nearby. She didn't know yet, but it would have to be soon.

Gamely, Red went outside and lifted the ax over her shoulder, then walked towards the tree line. In books the characters always went into the forest to fetch wood, then magically reappeared with enough fuel to create a bonfire that lasted all night. Somehow, Red didn't think it would be that easy.

She was wary as she stepped under the silent trees, ax in hand, eyes peeled for bears or wolves or good old boys with semiautomatics. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just the steady drip-drip-drip of rainwater falling from chilly leaves and needles. And not a sound besides. Red laid the ax down against a tree and began to drag branches over, but she didn't see any logs. Her fingers hurt with the cold. Everything was wet. Her coat was pathetically ineffective. But she kept at it. By the time the sunset lit the western sky on fire, she'd gathered a respectable pile of planty debris in the center of a small clearing. She surveyed it, wondering if it would be enough to even get her through the next three hours, let alone the whole night, the next day, the week. It was going to be cold for awhile. She needed and wanted to be warm, and did not relish the thought of yet another night of cramping cold, cold soup, shivering herself to sleep. It was bad enough being hungry and dirty.

The ax stood ready by the tree, gleaming dully in the red light. There were trees all around. Wood. Free fuel for the taking. If she could learn this, maybe she could learn how to hunt and fish and live off the land. She had to learn somehow, and cutting wood was a good place to start. No one was born knowing how. Even Paul Bunyan must have started out a novice.

Red bit her lip, wiped her hands on her filthy jeans, rubbed her dripping nose on her forearm and walked over to the ax. She wrapped her untried fingers around the hilt and lifted it up, then casted her eye about the clearing in search of a likely tree. Nothing too large. And not a sapling. Even she knew not to use green wood. She needed something big enough to keep her warm for at least five days. Enough to rest and emotionally heal and gather her strength again to decide what to do next.

Her eyes landed on a mid-sized oak tree across the way, leaning against two of its fellows out of the rain in a little hollow. It looked like it was listing at the right angle for ax blows to fell it rather easily. Didn't appear to be too thick, either. She thought she might just be able to drop it and chop off quite a lot of it in just a few hours, then tie ropes to it and haul the pieces home to stack in the corner of her kitchen and dry.

Thunder pealed in the distance. Red could see her breath. The sky was getting dark, both from the storm and from the oncoming night. There was no more time. Not a moment to spare. And so, with a determined set to her jaw and the kind of willful optimism that only experts and idiots enjoy, Red stalked over to the tree and took up what she hoped was a lumberjack-like stance.

_'Here goes nothing,'_ she thought glumly, _'I'll bet this blade is too dull to cut a thing anyway.'_

As it turned out, she was wrong.

The ax hit the tree and the blade bounced off, spinning around the shaft as though it had been oiled. The momentum of the blow sent the tool ricocheting back toward her, and faster than her mind could comprehend it she had laid open a huge gash in her shin, right down to the glint of bone.

A second passed. Then another. She stared down at her leg in shock, watching the blood well up like spring water from the stunned meat of her shin. And then she dropped the ax with a thump on the muddy ground. Thunder crashed again, closer, and the wind began to pick up.

Thirty full seconds went by before realization fully set in, and then her screams split the sky even louder than the thunder. The ground rushed up to strike her in the face and she lay still in the falling darkness, blood pooling all around her.

* * *

When Red came to, it was the pain that woke her. The pain, the cold, and the distant ominous howl of a coyote or wolf. She was alone in a dark forest, soaked to the bone and bleeding to death, starving and wracked with agony, miles from any possible help. With great feeling, she threw her head back and shrieked her agony to the rude spitting sky, summing up the whole of her horrific situation in four words.

"FUCK YOU, PAUL BUNYAN!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

She had to get out of there. She had to find help, or she would die. There was no choice left now, it was lay here in the mud and the blood and wait or drag herself to the road or her car and somehow get help. From deep down inside herself came the will to live, the primal desire to keep going. She rolled onto her stomach and began to scuffle around in the dirty grass, trying to move. She had no idea even which direction to take. And then it occurred to her that she'd seen only one other human being since moving to this place, way out here beyond the county line in the middle of nowhere. Groaning and sobbing in pain, she dug her hands into the soil and began to drag herself inch by painful inch toward the ridge where she had seen the man with the gun. Whether he could help her or not, she had no choice left.

The rain began to fall in real earnest now, slapping against her back in fat stinging droplets. The thunder grew louder and louder. God it was dark, and the pine needles stung her hands and gouged into the raw flesh of her wound as she dragged herself along. She cried of course, but she had to keep going. What other choice was there? Lie still and die in the storm? The lightening would flash a strobe upon her death throes, casting them into a jerky 8mm parody of messy backwoods expiration. The freezing rain would turn her lips blue and maybe fill her sightless eyes with little puddles that would still be there come dawn. Maybe kind birds would cover her body with leaves. Or she could keep going. Keep to the rhythm of digging her fingers into the wet soil, scraping herself forward, digging again, scraping, dig, scrape, cry. Dig. Scrape. Cry.

It took her nearly 20 minutes to top the rise to the east. She struggled up on her elbows, scanning the dark woods with her swollen eyes. Amidst the whipping trees and the flashes of electricity, she saw a gleam of something that was not forest. A house. An old white ranch-style house stood nestled in the deep green velvet of the wet evergreens. Red saw it, and in an instant she lost her fear of whomever it was she had seen on the ridge. She didn't even care anymore, not at this point. Not as long as they would help her and ease this pain and call an ambulance and feed her cat. With a choked moan, she began to crawl toward the house, crying harder in relief now.

"God oh God oh God please let someone be home! Please be home! Help me! HELP! HELP!" she screamed the plea twice, her voice drowned out by the pounding storm-whipped surf behind her and the rain on the forest and the howling mocking wind. She inch-wormed as fast as she could with her fading strength, her head down and her eyes squeezed shut. The pain was excruciating. She didn't even know how bad the injury was, but she could tell from the intensity of the pain that it was considerable. Thirty or so more minutes of stalwart wailing and lamentation brought her into the yard of the modest home. There was no car in the muddy driveway, but yellow light shone in all the windows, a single red candle flickering in one. Red crawled up the three steps to the door and beat weakly on the bottom. She was exhausted, incapable of speech or coherency, lying in a wet bleeding heap on the stoop. She'd even stopped shivering.

From inside there came the sound of footsteps, and the door was abruptly opened. Red stared at a pair of green house slippers, shapely ankles, green silk pajama bottoms and the edge of a white terrycloth robe. The wonderful, welcoming scent of baking bread and garlic and tomato sauce wafted out. Baby powder and some fruity, spicy perfume.

She groaned, reaching out to assault one clean slipper with her mud-and-blood streaked hand.

"Help me. C-cut my leg. No heat, cat alone at cottage. Dying! Please…please help!"

There was a moment of stunned silence, and then the person in green silk pajamas knelt down, and she was the most beautiful Asian woman that Red had ever seen. The woman's almond eyes were clouded over with worry, her long sheet of glossy black hair fell in a fragrant river over her shoulder to brush against Red's cheek.

She looked up and scanned the driveway, the dirt road. Her expression was one of apprehension and nervousness. And then with a sigh, she bit her lip for a moment, gripped Red's arm with a surprisingly strong hand, and hauled her inside out of the rain.

Red groaned as she was half-dragged to her knees.

"Get up. You have to get up and crawl. Now." The Asian woman in the green silk pajamas had a voice that was soft, calm, but nevertheless firm. It had a reassuring timbre to it.

"Okay, okay." Red moaned, and crawled as best she could. Drop cloths had been placed on the floor to protect the carpet, and as she crawled she noticed with a kind of fuzzy detachment that that there were piles of medical supplies on the kitchen table, three thick robes laid over the chairs. Three sets of slippers. Three places set at the table beyond the gauze and the bandages and the suture kit and a big metal tray with something tilted against it. Forceps?

"What…" Red whimpered, but the woman was leading her down the hallway, to a door on the left.

"In here. Now. They could be back at any moment. You're in danger here, but I will do the best I can to protect you." She pushed the door open and half-dragged Red inside.

The soft carpet felt wonderful against her abraded hands. A drowsy, smoky incense suffused the room, and there were bookshelves lining two of the walls. A comfortable chair with a footstool stood by the window, a large bed covered in a patchwork quilt and deliciously fresh-smelling sheets was tucked into the corner. It was a cozy, warm, perfect room. Red felt weak and terrified, and pain sliced across her heart that Bandit was not here. After all she'd been through, he was one of the few things she had left. But he was safe in the cottage. She had left food out. Water. He would be lonely, maybe, but he was safe. She tried to quiet her mind.

The Asian woman helped her up onto the bed and leaned over her for a moment. She looked closely at the wound, and her face relaxed.

"You were very lucky. I've seen worse. Much worse. Lie back and relax. Hopefully I can patch you up and get you back to where you came from before the gentlemen get home."

Red dug her fists into her eyes, rubbing away the tears. She was starving, cold, in pain, exhausted. This house was warm, clean. There was the most compelling scent of food emanating from the kitchen, and her stomach seized with need. She was lonely, damn it, and exhausted and in all ways pathetic. She hated that she was so weak…but she was. God, she was. Red laid her hand on the woman's arm.

"What's your name?"

The woman paused, her eyes flicking up to take in Red's anguished face.

"Tsugi," she said softly. "My name is Tsugi."

"Tsugi. That's a beautiful name. I'm Red. I mean…that's what everyone calls me." Red gestured to her unruly mane of wet curls. "Because of the hair."

Tsugi smiled slightly, and Red could not help but notice her quiet beauty. Her skin was slightly bronzed, her teeth a shy flash of white. The only imperfection was a rather fresh-looking injury on the place where her neck met her shoulder, visible just barely beyond the loose neckline of her silk pajama top. It looked sore, painful, the smooth flesh torn and puffy and purple.

"Do you have a dog?" Red asked.

Tsugi didn't even look. She simply pulled up her robe to cover the injury, her face impassive.

"Yes. We have a large dog and it bit me. But I am healing. Thank you for being concerned."

"It looks sore."

"It is sore." Tsugi sighed, then shook her head, "But I'm alright. My fiancé cleaned it and looked after me. He's a terrific healer, and he always tends to me when I need help. Look, Red, I can patch up your leg and give you supplies, but you have to get out of here. It's not safe. They could be back at any moment."

Tsugi leaned forward as she spoke and began unbuttoning Red's jeans. She slid them carefully down and off, over the injured shin. Red gripped the comforter and groaned in pain as the fabric pulled loose from the jagged wound.

"Wh-what do you mean? Who could be back at any moment?" Red gasped. Tsugi tucked a thick towel under her leg and fetched a basin of water and a cloth from the small bathroom off the bedroom. She began to sponge the wound clean. Outside, the thunder crashed again. After a long moment, she answered.

"Three men live here. Brothers. They don't exactly welcome guests." Tsugi lifted her eyes to fix Red with a gaze that was no longer inscrutable. "And if they find you here…they will probably kill you."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

After a time, the water turned black as dirt and pine sap and caked-on blood loosened and washed away. Tsugi was a diligent, patient nurse with a steady hand and a practiced touch. She clearly knew what she was doing. Red laid still, her mind a jumble of questions. Did the men know she was living in the cottage? They had to. Had that been one of them, the man on the ridge? Why would they kill her? Was the law against killing one's neighbor really that lax in these parts? Shit…no wonder the house had sold so cheaply.

Tsugi sprayed disinfectant on the jagged cut, pulling the torn edges together and affixing steri strips along its seven-inch length to hold it closed. She turned to the side, readying a needle and thread. Red blanched.

"What the hell are you going to do with THAT? Are you a nurse? A surgeon? Do you even have a first aid merit badge from the Girl Scouts?"

Tsugi looked at her cooly and shifted position, straddling her ankle on the bed and tilting the light over.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Red. Suffice it to say that I have a great deal more experience healing all types of injuries than you do in cutting wood." She leaned down and prepared to begin sewing. "Just lie back, take very deep breaths and let them out slowly, and let me work. You're going to be alright if you hold still. I have done this before. Many times."

Red lay back, her hands over her face, moaning in terror and pain. When the first pinprick happened, it felt fuzzy and distant. Not painful, really. Just uncomfortable. The sizzle of the disinfectant had been worse. As Tsugi quietly stitched, Red lowered her hands and turned her head to the side, studying the rows of books on the nearest shelf. Mechanical engineering. Explosives. Military manuals. Weapons catalogs. Japanese poetry? German philosophy. World War II history. Karl Marx and Nietzsche. Some books on animal rights, on physics, a few math textbooks. Whomever it was that owned this collection, they were intelligent. That was for certain.

"Are you a teacher?"

Tsugi shook her head, concentrating. "No. More into freelance law enforcement."

"What, like a bounty hunter?"

"Something like that."

"Are these your books?"

"They belong to my fiancé. This is our bedroom."

"Is he one of the brothers? The ones who might want to kill me? God, what did I even do that was so wrong? I'm not a threat to anyone! Not even trees, clearly."

"Hold still. I'm nearly done, and then we have to get you back to where you came from. I'll give you some supplies, and I'll look in on you as often as I can until you're well. We have plenty of cat food here. The youngest brother is fond of animals, and feeds many of the local strays. You're a bit too large to fit into any of my clothing, but I can probably nick some of Darwin's things for you, at least a few shirts and some warmer pants."

Years later and up to the end of her life, Red would always react to that name exactly the way she did when she first heard it. A strange warmth filled her chest, a sense of coming home after a long journey. Of being lost and cold and tired, then climbing familiar steps and finding the door open. She couldn't explain it.

"Darwin." She repeated.

Tsugi put ten stitches into Red's leg, then sprayed on more disinfectant and wrapped the cut in gauze. She stood up and stuffed the torn, bloody jeans into the trash.

"Rest for a few minutes. I'm going to get you some clothes and other items. Then I'll help you get home. What do you need there?"

Red thought hard. "It's freezing. That's why I was looking for wood. I could use some blankets. Candles. I have no electricity. I can't afford to pay for it. I'm almost out of food and Bandit needs food too." She bit her lip. "I can't repay you for any of this."

Tsugi raised an eyebrow, tilting her head to one side.

"Do you really think I expect you to? That's not how I operate. Just rest, gain your strength. I'll find you some crutches, I know we have a few pairs here. And I'll put everything else I can think of into a bag."

She left, and Red lay back on the warm bed and tried to fight off sleep. For the first time in nearly a year, someone was being kind to her. She wondered if she had died out there, and this was simply the happy dream of a collapsing mind before the world went dark forever.

* * *

Red was awakened by a significant commotion. A man shouting, Tsugi's calming voice replying, someone groaning in pain. In shock and fear, Red sat bolt upright and stared at the closed door.

"Oh CHRIST! They're home!" She whispered, panic-stricken. She was still pantless, there were no crutches, and Tsugi was out there with the brothers. The window…maybe she should dive out the window. But what about her leg? Damn it! The voices were loud.

"…blinded Jeeves so he couldn't see, got no idea if I'll be able ta deal with that shit right there. One o' the motherfucker's bodyguards shot me in the back, I can't move my legs but I sure as hell kin feel 'em. Dar took one in the neck. He started comin' around in the car while we was tryin' ta make it home. I tell ya what, that was a ride. Jeeves workin' the pedals an' me tryin' ta steer."

"Mah eyes hurt, dang it."

"Stop rubbing them, big guy. Let me clean the blood off, then Lester can look at you. I need you to carry Darwin to his bedroom, too." Tsugi's gentle voice was soothing, tender, there was a warmth and a love to it that made Red's chest ache. She would have been touched if she wasn't in mortal terror. Tsugi must be nervous too. Scared for her.

There was a long period of wordless sound. Scuffling, a few grunts, that low moan again. And then Tsugi's voice.

"What do you think, Lester?"

"He'll see again. Just gonna be a rough few weeks. That left eye is worse than the right, but his corneas ain't punctured an' his pupils still respond ta light. Wear yer goggles next time ya fire off yer weapon, brother. Get on up now, ya gotta carry Darwin ta his room, set him down. Tsugi'll look after that injury. Then you kin take me ta mine, get some rest yerself. Helluva job t'night. Ha!"

"Sure thing, Lester."

"Let's…stay out here in the kitchen together for a little while. You and I. Let Jeeves go to bed. I'll take you back in the desk chair in a little while. I'd like to have a talk." Tsugi said quickly. Red couldn't breathe. She was sweating buckets.

There was a muttering, she couldn't catch the reply/ And then the sound of someone huge and heavy thumping down the wall, feeling his way, she guessed. A man in his arms. Oh God…if they were hurt, why weren't they at a hospital? What the hell kind of family WAS this? The movement stopped right across the hall, a door was opened, the moan sounded again as the injured Darwin was presumably set down. And then heavy footsteps thudded farther up the hall and into another room. Two of the brothers were in bed, hopefully for the night. Maybe this would all turn out alright somehow. Maybe.

Red waited, listening to the gradual settling of the house and the low voices coming from the kitchen. Ten minutes later the door opened and Red reflexively grabbed a heavy book from the nightstand, ready to throw it. But Tsugi slipped in, holding a finger to her lips.

"Your life depends on you not being difficult right now. I told my fiancé about you. The others don't know yet, and believe me that is a very good thing." She grabbed the desk chair and rolled it out, "Just be respectful, a little subservient, and for God's sake don't raise your voice."

"Wait!" Red whispered, "I don't have any pants!"

But Tsugi was already gone. Sounds in the hallway, and then the ominous squeak of a desk chair.

_'So this is how my death is going to come', _thought Red wildly, _'On the cushioned seat of Office Depot bargain furniture.'_

The door opened all the way, and Red struggled to sit up. She licked her dry lips, expecting the very worst.

She was not disappointed.

The man in the chair was heavily muscled, dressed in blood-drenched Kevlar body armor held together with duct tape. He was shaved completely bald, even his eyebrows, but scruffy sideburns adorned his cheeks and jaw. A tattoo of the business end of a double-barrel shotgun pointed from his throat, and his hands and arms wore tattoos of bones on them. Articulated, perfectly shaped human bones. He was gazing at her with the most unsettling glare.

Tsugi pushed him fully into the room, close enough to the dresser for him to grab it, then bent down and kissed his cheek lovingly.

"I'll see to Darwin now." She said softly, and slipped out without another word.

Red stared at Lester.

Lester stared at Red.

"Um…hello? N-nice to meet you. Sir."

"Tsugi tells me ya got fancy with an ax. That right?"

"Yes sir."

He pulled himself a little closer, right to the bedside. Red recoiled, shocked at the amount of blood that coated his body. He seemed not to notice it, his eyes trained on her leg. He reached up suddenly, and Red raised her hands to ward off a blow.

"Please don't!" she whimpered. Lester sighed and pulled open a drawer in the bedside stand, withdrawing a pair of spectacles. He slipped them on and turned back to survey her injury.

"Don't be a goddamned idiot, woman. I ain't gonna hit ya." He touched her leg, and Red slowly relaxed. He seemed knowledgeable, his movements sure.

"Are you a doctor?"

"I do the healin', the cookin', an' the technical shit around here. Getting' my Tsugi trained up ta help me out a bit fer all three. It's a big job. Alright, girl, she did a damn fine job o' stitchin' you up. You'll be able ta limp around on it an' the bone ain't broke er nothin'. Just keep it dry. She'll bring ya the crutches an' walk ya home."

"You're not going to…to kill me?"

Lester fixed his gaze upon her. Sky blue eyes, startling blue. Almost beautiful, in fact, were it not for the wild savagery of the face and body of which they were a part.

"I ain't gonna kill you, darlin'." He said softly. "No one's paid me to."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Red stared at him in shock, hardly able to believe what she'd just heard. Paid to kill?

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I ain't like the other two. Not no more, anyway. I don't do freebies an' ya don't look like no threat ta me." Lester sat back and winced, reaching behind him to touch his lower back. When he brought his hand up again it was slippery with fresh blood. He blinked at it and grumbled under his breath. "Goddammit."

"Holy crap! What the hell happened to you? What happened to your brother's eyes? Why is your other brother passed out? Whose blood are you covered in? Is it yours? Why don't you call an ambulance?" The questions came out all in a torrent. Red was horrified by the sight of so much gore. He looked like the floor of an abattoir. Lester pursed his lips for a moment and his eyes flashed. He looked absolutely lethal. Red fell wisely and reflexively silent.

"I got shot in the spine. Darwin got shot in the neck. I'm covered in a whole lotta people's blood, don't rightly know whose exactly. But this here on my fingers is all mine." He rubbed his fingers together, and the light from the desk lamp gleamed on his glasses. "I ain't gonna die. Been hurt worse 'n this an' it didn't happen. Takes a helluva lot more ta kill a Tremor. We ain't like regular folk."

"What's a Tremor?"

"I am. An' my brothers. My name's Lester Tremor. You ask a whole lot o' questions fer a complete stranger who's imposin' on my mercy right about now."

"I didn't mean to impose on – "

"Yer imposin'. My brothers an' me had a real difficult goddamn day, a triumphant but bloody night, we're all still high as shit on the speed we take ta keep us sharp an' fearless on a hit. I'm tired an' the pain's startin' ta creep up on me, an' I would sure appreciate it if you'd cut me some fuckin' slack. Sound good?"

"But I'm not…"

"Yer in my bed."

Red bit her lip, feeling as though she was about to start crying again. Slowly, she lay back down.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know where else to go. I…I dragged myself here through the rain. I'm hurting too. I'm starving. I'm scared. Your fiancé is the first person to treat me like a fellow human being in a very long time. I don't mean to sound ungrateful or anything like it. I'm just curious because I've never seen so much…so much b-blood in all my life. You scare the shit out of me."

Lester sighed, nodding once, then began to unstrap his body armor. The Velcro sounded loud in the still room. As he removed each piece, he dropped it to the side of the dresser in a small white plastic laundry bin. His muscular chest was clean, but he was sweaty and red and abraded in places. Everywhere the body armor didn't cover was streaked and sticky with blood. Boldly, Lester stripped down to his underwear, leaning from one side to the other to tug off his pants.

Red was a little embarrassed. She averted her eyes and tried to focus on the ceiling instead, wiping at the tears on her cheeks with the heel of her palm.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah. Move the fuck over. I gotta lay down so Tsugi kin patch me up."

"Are you…are you seriously suggesting that we lay here in bed together?"

Lester openly glared at her now, and his eyes were glaciers.

"No offense, baby girl, but even if I was in peak condition I kinda doubt you'd be in fer a rough night. You ain't my type, Imma tell ya that right now." He looked her over with scorn. "Yer clumsy, ya talk too much, yer a sissy an' yer chubby."

Red felt her fact grow hot, and she struggled to sit up. "I beg your pardon! Size ten is NOT chubby! That's just damn insulting! I'm curvy!"

He shooed her over and heaved himself onto the bed, grunting from the effort.

"Oh-ho, curvy is it? That what them feminine-empowerment types 'er callin' it now? Lemme ask you somethin'. When was the last time you used them arms ta lift anythin' more taxin' than an espresso at Starbucks or a goddamn cell phone? You get them scrawny-ass calf muscles workin' the stairmaster at the gym once or twice a motherfuckin' month, or from chasin' yer own food through the forest?" He rolled over onto his stomach and pillowed his shaved head on his folded arms, blinking up at her a few times, then closing his powder-blue eyes. "Yer a soft little citified thing who ain't got no business livin' this far out. Yer kind aughta stick closer ta civilization er else shit like what happened ta yer leg is gonna weed yer DNA outta the goddamn gene pool."

Red couldn't believe how insulting he was being. Her face flushed, and angry tears spilled down her cheeks again. With great effort, she rolled onto her side away from him and faced the wall, fuming.

"I think I hate you."

Lester sighed, nestling in to get comfortable. "That's fine. Hell, look on the bright side. Just think how many calories ya burned draggin' yer pale ass here."

"Oh my God!"

The door opened a short while later, and Tsugi slipped back in. She knelt down beside her fiancé, checking his back.

"There's a bullet lodged in there. Should I…"

"Goddamn right, darlin'. Get the forceps. You check on Darwin? How is he?"

"He's awake, Les. Jeeves is passed out completely. I flushed out and put cold compresses on his eyes, they'll be fine soon enough. Darwin's neck injury was just a graze, thank goodness. He can't speak very well. Hardly at all."

"That part ain't good. We need our leader ta be able ta bark orders an' snarl at us again. Heh. Imma have a look at him just as soon as I kin move around, make sure he's healin' proper. He's awake, you say? How awake?"

"Fading in and out. I kissed his forehead and he called me mother instead of grabbing my ass."

Lester chuckled, and Red rolled over again to stare at the two of them.

"I can't believe you're laughing at a man who has been shot in the neck instead of taking him to a hospital. What if he dies? Are you going to bury him in the yard with a backhoe?"

Tsugi giggled delicately, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. Her cool, gentle hands caressed Lester's back, and Red could not help but stare at the awful hole in his flesh. At the puffy skin and the glint of the slim forceps that Tsugi was slowly lowering into the wound. Lester gripped the blankets grimly and clenched his jaw.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"Nope…feels great…I just always do this when I'm about ta fuckin' climax…AH! Goddammit, Tsugi!"

"Sorry, love. It's out. You're bleeding, hold still."

She grabbed a bottle of disinfectant and irrigated the wound, then placed several pads of clean gauze over it and taped it firmly in place with efficiency. Without thinking, Red reached out and grabbed Lester's hand. His fingers closed over hers, and he shut his eyes.

"Are you okay, Lester?"

"Hell, it'll be fine. Mind yer business." He told her, sounding weary. A few minutes passed in silence, and then his eyes wearily opened. "Tsugi."

"Yes?"

"We…gotta feed this girl. An' get her some goddamn decent clothes. Give her cash, too. A couple blankets, oil lamps, fuel, anythin' she needs. But you see her home before Darwin or Jeeves catch her here."

Tsugi cleaned and bandaged Lester while he wearily bore it in silence, then brought over the bowl of warm water again, and a fresh cloth. Red watched as she gently bathed the blood from her lover's body, helping him to roll over so that she could tenderly wipe down both sides. There was a soft intimacy to the way she touched him, her cool elegant hands passing over the powerful body of the good ol' boy as though she were an exotic thousand-dollar-a-night masseuse and he'd just hit the lotto. But that wasn't the case. This woman, this Asian goddess with the liquid dark eyes and the bearing of a fashion model, was actually in love with and engaged to the short bald redneck with the foul mouth and the shocking blue eyes on the bed.

"How…um…did you two…" Red trailed off. Lester's eyes opened, and he sighed.

"On a hit. I'd taken a couple bullets after clearin' the target an' I was down. He had a lot more guards than I was led ta believe. Sumbitches had me cornered in a burned-out basement, ain't no way o' getting' around 'em. I crawled behind a cement partition an' slipped in my last clip, getting' ready ta go out in a blaze o' glory like a good Tremor should. But then somethin' happened." His eyes grew far away, and above him Tsugi smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"My team knew about the hit and wanted to steal the leftovers. Let them do the heavy blasting and then we'd sweep in and nail any lesser targets, collect weapons, cash, technology, the works."

"Heh. Vultures." Lester chuckled. Tsugi shook her head, teasingly pinching his earlobe.

"Opportunists. It's a dirty world out there, darling. Someone has to clean it up." She leaned down and kissed his shoulder, and he grumbled contentedly. Tsugi continued, "Tremors work together, for the most part. That is known throughout the assassin's underworld. The Brothers are a package deal. But our sources told us that Jeeves and Darwin were in Atlanta. Imagine my shock when I whipped around a corner to find this strapping lad on the floor in a puddle of his own blood. My partners were killing off the drug lord's entourage, and I made a snap decision to help Lester get out of there. What can I say? When you look into your soulmate's eyes for the first time…you know."

Lester leaned up, and a small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. His Asian princess bent down to kiss him, and Red looked away.

She didn't believe in soulmates. Not anymore.

Tsugi helped her out of bed after Lester was cared for, and with the other woman's help Red was able to limp down the hall and into the kitchen on a pair of worn crutches. She sat in a chair while Tsugi quickly filled a duffel bag with candles, two towel-wrapped hurricane lamps, four bottles of lamp oil, canned goods and powdered milk and sugar and tea and coffee. Three folded woolen blankets rolled up tight and tucked into the bottom. A few pairs of Darwin's pants from the laundry room and a few of his shirts from a pile on the coffee table.

Red's stomach growled loudly, but she tried not to look at the pot of what was presumably pasta on the stove. Tsugi glanced up and her eyes softened. She grabbed a plate from the table and immediately filled it with spaghetti and meat sauce, balancing three thick pieces of homemade garlic bread on the edge. She set the feast down in front of Red, who could have died of gratitude. She speared a meatball with her fork and bit into it immediately. The resultant sting of a burned tongue forced her to blow on the next mouthful, gingerly testing it with her lips before eating. Tsugi shook her head and poured a tall glass of whole milk.

"When was the last time you ate properly?"

"About a month. Soup, chips, Little Debbies and candy bars. Anything I can find, really. I even have to buy the cheapest cat food, the crap that's mostly corn. Bandit hates it but we have nothing else. Do you…have you got any cat food I could take to him?"

Tsugi nodded and rose to her feet, then crossed to the cupboards beside the fridge and pulled out a 24-pack of tinned cat food and a full bag of dry. She laid them on the table and began to tuck various medical supplies into the duffel bag, watching as Red ate at an alarming pace.

"It's not going anywhere, you know. You can slow down."

"I'm sorry. I know you probably think I'm a complete pig. But I'm starving, and this is spectacular. You're an amazing cook."

"Lester made it before the boys left. I just warmed it up. He does all the cooking around here."

"Lester?"

Tsugi nodded, finally sitting down. She glanced apprehensively over her shoulder toward the still hallway, but there was silence.

"Darwin is our leader. The head of this family and the eldest brother. His word is our law and we don't acknowledge any others, really. Not even the speed limit." She laughed quietly. "Lester is the middle child. He's the one who takes care of the healing, the cooking, the bookkeeping. He's solid and quiet and brilliant, and he knows all there is to know about electronics and bombs and weaponry and where to get it. Jeeves is the baby. He's a little special, and we all love him very much."

Red nodded, swallowing a bite of bread.

"The one who injured his eyes. He carried the oldest brother to bed. He must be very strong."

Tsugi nodded.

"He's immense. Closer to seven feet than six. Heavily muscled and built for destruction. He's a tank. He also has the heart of a pussycat when he isn't working. They've all had rough lives. But Jeeves, he was horribly abused and it shows. Nightmares, and he shies away from new people. He has flashbacks and terrible headaches, which he refers to as a 'pain inside him'. When the headaches hit, we know to keep him in his room if possible and keep him calm."

"What happens if you don't?"

Tsugi bit her lip and reflexively put her hand to the wound on her neck.

"He can become…violent."

There really wasn't much to say after that. Red felt awed and frightened by the revelations. She was immensely grateful for the help and all the gifts, and as Tsugi helped her dress in a warm coat of Lester's and get her shoes back on she thanked her profusely. They began to make their slow way down the hill again, Tsugi carrying the duffel bag and the cat food. The sky was just barely starting to brighten to the east. It would be dawn soon. Bandit was probably starving by now. Red, her stomach feeling full and happy for the first time in a long time, felt in dire need of a long nap. Her injured leg throbbed and her abraded hands and knees were sore, but the painkillers she'd been given were kicking in. Tsugi moved on ahead of her, picking out the best path.

"I saw a man on the top of the ridge the other day. He was in a white t-shirt and he had an assault rifle or something. He was one of them, wasn't he." Red finally said as she limped along behind. Tsugi nodded, adjusting the cat food on her shoulder.

"That was probably Darwin. They were preparing for the hit."

There it was again, that feeling in her chest when she heard his name. Red bit her lip and concentrated on making her way down the hillside.

"What's Darwin like?"

Tsugi glanced back at her, watching her face for a moment. The little cabin was in sight now, they were almost there.

"Darwin is very intelligent. Brilliant, even. But not in a conventional way. I respect him as a man, as a killer and as a leader."

"What does he look like?"

"Bit like the others, I suppose. Dark blond hair, tattoos, a little over six feet, lean and muscular like a wolf. His eyes, though…Tremor boys have the most intense blue eyes. All three of them. Sleepy velvet blue. Bedroom eyes." Tsugi blushed, listening to herself waxing poetic. They reached the door of Red's cabin and Tsugi tried the knob, easily swinging it open. Bandit whisked under the sofa immediately, and the two women entered and closed the door. Tsugi continued, setting everything down on the table. "Just keep your head down and don't come to the house again. I'll return to check on you and bring you more supplies until you get on your feet. Will you be alright from here?"

Red nodded, looking around. "I'll be okay. Tsugi, thank you so much. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't helped me."

"You might have died, or at least spent a bad night." Tsugi shrugged, then smiled and reached into the duffel bag, taking out a small wad of cash. "Lester said to give you some money. There's a thousand dollars here. Consider it a gift. Now feed the cat, get some rest and I'll see you tomorrow if possible. Be safe, Red. You're not in the city anymore."

Red nodded and watched as her newfound friend slipped out of the door again. Then she moved to unwrap a can of cat food and open it onto a plate, setting it on the floor. Bandit squirmed out from his hiding place and dashed to it immediately, and Red slowly limped back to the bedroom, dragging the duffel bag. She changed into Darwin's clothing, which smelled faintly of Old Spice and gun oil, and laid down in her bed.

"Bedroom eyes." She whispered, and promptly fell into an exhausted and dreamless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Her leg itched horribly. That was the first thing Red noticed when she woke up several hours later. But from experience, she knew that all wounds itched when they were healing. She reached beside her for the little bottle of painkillers, tapping two into her palm, and swallowed them dry without hesitation. Hell, she didn't even know what they were. But it hardly mattered. They took the edge off, and that was all she needed.

Wincing, Red sat up and looked out of the window. The warm light of late afternoon greeted her weary eyes, glinting off the sea and changing the leaves on the trees to flashing emerald and honey. For the first time in so many, many months…she felt happy. Someone had taken care of her. Someone had shown her mercy. Compassion. Kindness. She grinned and looked down at Bandit, asleep on the pillow beside her.

"We might make it after all, friend. And you even got a little treat. It's been forever since you had tinned kitty food, that must have been terrific. Your mommy certainly enjoyed her dinner." She rumpled the fur on his belly, and he slowly opened his eyes and huffed a little sigh, rolling over onto his back to grant her better access. Red laughed and petted him for a little while, then swung her legs over the side of the bed and reached for her crutches. It was time to get up. Wash her hair. Put things away in the kitchen and hide the cash for future use. Maybe do a little reading. The house had warmed up and she felt delighted at the change. Things seemed so much less bleak, suddenly.

* * *

The day passed in lazy pleasure. Red warmed a bowl of water in the sun and thoroughly washed her greasy hair, then combed out all the tangles and lay back in the yard to spread out her hair and dry it. Bandit prowled happily about the perimeter of the house, stalking spiders and ants and rolling in the grass. Near suppertime Red went inside again and opened another can of cat food, then a tin of potted meat and a few slices of bread which she toasted painstakingly over a candle. A little mustard, a cup of cold water stirred with dry milk powder and cocoa mix, a chunk of cheese and an apple made up her dinner. It seemed a feast. She sighed and watched Bandit tucking in beside her on the floor, lit by the cheerful glow of the oil lamps in the kitchen and living room.

"To the Tremors." Red told him, and lifted her glass to her lips.

A knock sounded at the door. She paused, fear flooding her veins, and froze in place. But then she remembered that Tsugi had promised to come down to check on her. Smiling, she rose to her feet and gripped the crutches, then limped to the door and threw it open.

"Hello, neighbor."

Tsugi smiled back, looking tired and beautiful. She lifted a box in her hands and lightly rattled it.

"I've brought you something. May I come in?"

Red nodded, limping back out of the way.

"Please do. I've just made dinner, would you like some? It should only take another ten minutes to toast more bread."

Her new friend smiled and stepped inside, setting the box on the table.

"I don't think you'll be needing to do any such thing. I've brought you a camping stove with extra propane. And that's not all. Lester said that as soon as he's up and out of bed, he'll splice you into the city power lines and get the electricity on in here."

Red opened her mouth in delighted surprise, then shut it, tilting her head.

"That sounds illegal."

"It is illegal. But no one is going to catch you, Red. Trust me…no city inspectors come here. They have a way of not showing up for work the next day. Or any day. We'll get you heat and light in no time. Lester should be up and walking within two weeks. Jeeves is already seeing shapes and shadows and he'll be fine in about four more days. Darwin will sleep for three days and then get up as right as rain the same way he always does." Tsugi laughed, shaking her head, "They have an almost mystical power to self-heal. Mmm, let's hope you have the same skill."

"I do. I tend to get injured a lot. It's a side effect of being an idiot."

Tsugi proudly lifted the propane stove out of its box and set it on the table while Red looked on dubiously.

"That looks like trouble." She said softly, leaning forward to get a better view. And it did. A squat, knobby, temperamental thing with a bulky tank attached to the bottom via a little hose. Red wondered how big a crater it would leave when it finally detonated. Tsugi rolled her eyes and pulled out a silver lighter.

"It's not trouble. It will cook your food and allow you to broaden your diet to include things other than canned soup. Look, I'll show you how to use it." She spun a small dial on the propane tank, then an even littler dial on the stove. A soft hiss signaled the presence of gas. Tsugi confidently flicked the lighter and ignited it, and the stove flared to life. She shut it off again, spinning both dials closed.

"See how I did that? Easy as breathing, even for you." Tsugi set the lighter down and smiled at Red, then gracefully sat across from her at the table. Red was not so sure, but she held her tongue. There were a few moments of silence, and then Tsugi gestured to the food on the table.

"Don't let me interrupt dinner. We can talk while you eat. How is your leg feeling?"

Red took a bite of toast and nodded.

"It itched when I woke up, and it's sore as all hell, but I'm positive it's going to be alright. I looked it over while I was taking a sponge bath. You did a great job with the stitches, Tsugi. Thanks."

"I've been doing it for quite a few years."

"As a…an opportunist?" Red sought for the right word. _Vulture_, Lester had said.

"Assassin. We do kill, after all. Yes, I did do a certain amount of healing with my old team. But I didn't start to truly learn until I came here. Lester is phenomenal. He keeps this family alive, and there's almost nothing he can't fix. Being with him, learning from him and loving him, it's worth everything I had to go through to stay here."

"What did you have to go through?"

For the first time since Red met her, Tsugi looked nervous.

"I'm talking too much. Let's have a look at your leg." She knelt down and slid up the pant leg on Red's left shin, inspecting the injury.

"It's healing. You're going to have a scar, but that's about it. You were one lucky lady."

"Hallelujah." Red said drily, chewing. Tsugi smirked and sat in her chair again. Bandit returned to his bowl and ate, watching the stranger warily. After a few more long moments, Tsugi finally cleared her throat.

"It's been a long time since I had another woman to talk to. I'm glad you're here."

Red felt warmth flood her chest. She put her hand on Tsugi's.

"I haven't had a friend in a long time either. I'm…I'm very glad that I'm a hopeless idiot around sharp tools. Well, around basically anything to be honest."

Tsugi chuckled.

"You should take martial arts training. That's what made me graceful. You become mindful of every movement."

Red nearly choked on a mouthful of potted meat.

"I did. Judo."

Tsugi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"Oh yes. A whole two weeks' worth. Then the instructor begged me to take boxing instead."

"Ha! And what did the boxing instructor have to say about that invitation, I wonder?"

Red sighed sadly.

"He told me to take Judo."

* * *

Tsugi came over every day, making the long walk down the hill to help Red clean and scour and repaint the walls, to weed the garden, to organize the garage. They chatted and laughed together, and Red found herself becoming happier than she had been in a long, long time. Three weeks went by, and then one day Tsugi's distinctive rap on the cottage door was followed by a gruff male voice.

"Open up, goddammit! This shit's heavy!"

Red couldn't believe it. She limped quickly to the door and flung it wide.

"Lester!"

He was standing up this time, only about a half inch taller than she was, and clean. No blood to be seen anywhere. He was even more or less normally clothed in jeans and an Iron Maiden t-shirt. His pale blue eyes were hidden behind dark wraparound sunglasses, bald head gleaming in the sun. Tsugi stood smiling beside him. In their hands they held large toolboxes, various electric appliances, and a covered dish. Red felt like hugging them both.

"Please come in! I'm delighted to see you!"

She moved away from the door, allowing them access. The marked improvements to the cottage were manifold since the day she'd arrived here, and it was with no shame at all that her new guests were invited inside. Bandit got up to launch into his customary vanishing act, but paused for a moment this time, looking up at Lester.

"Hey furball." Lester said softly, setting down his toolbox. He removed his sunglasses and surveyed the cat with unsmiling interest. Bandit looked back, blinking his grass green eyes a few times, his expression mild. Then, slowly, he withdrew beneath the sofa. But he did not run. Red shook her head in wonder.

"You must have some kind of special charm. That cat tolerates no one."

Lester shrugged and snapped open the toolbox while Tsugi moved to slide the covered dish into the oven to keep it protected while they worked.

"Meat loaf." She explained, and Red smiled.

"Heaven in a roasting pan. Does the presence of tools mean we are about to break a city ordinance here, you two?"

"Heh. More 'n one if I do my work right here. Have a seat on that sofa there an' stay the fuck outta my way. I don't like yer track record with anythin' of a challengin' nature." He collected an assortment of pliers, a bolt cutter, wires and tape, a screwdriver, sliding the items into a worn leather utility belt with practiced ease. Red glared at him sourly and retreated to the sofa to brood.

"I know how to do a few things. I can make French toast."

Lester didn't even dignify that with a response, slipping out of the front door to go about his business. Tsugi came over and sat by her, setting a paper bag in her lap.

"For you. A few toiletries, some soap. I thought that when we got the hot water heater working, you might want to really enjoy your bath."

Red's eyes filled with tears, and on impulse she reached over and threw her arms around her friend, so touched that she couldn't speak. Tsugi hugged her back and held her for a little while, understanding somehow that this moment was about far more than shampoo and deodorant. A wall had come down.

The front door creaked, boots sounded on the linoleum, but neither woman moved.

"Lester's fast as lightening," Red murmured into the glossy black river of Tsugi's hair. The other woman didn't respond. She had frozen. After a few seconds, sensing something amiss, Red pulled back to look at her stricken face.

"What?"

Tsugi didn't answer.

"So this is where you been sneakin' off to."

The voice came from behind her. Husky. Soft. Menacing. Male.

Not Lester's voice.

Red's heart was in her mouth as she slowly turned to regard the tall man who stood in her kitchen with his hands in his pockets. Lean and muscled like a wolf. Dark blond hair shaved into an untidy mop that tumbled into a pair of the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen. Tsugi quietly bowed her head in submission, and Red clumsily got to her feet. She was shaking. She couldn't look away from those eyes. God, they were bluer than the Caribbean.

"P-pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm Red."

He turned his gaze on her, looking her over. Finally, he held out a hand, and Red took it.

"Darwin Tremor. Sit down, Red. You and me need to have a discussion. Tsugi, get on back up to the house. Now."

"Yes sir. I'll see you later, Red."

And then to Red's horror, Tsugi rose to her feet and left. Left her alone with the sinister country boy who held her hand in a vice-like grip. Left her alone with a killer, an assassin, a blue-eyed devil of questionable moral bearing. Red swallowed hard and looked up into his eyes, trying to think of something to say. He narrowed them, and the sense of impending doom increased.

"Nice shirt. Looks familiar."

"I'm only borrowing it. S-sir. Mr. Tremor."

"You've been in my house."

There was no point in lying now. Red slowly nodded, and he released her hand, letting her sink back onto the sofa. He looked down at her appraisingly.

"I cut myself on my second day here. Rather badly. With an axe. And Tsugi helped me."

"Show me."

With trembling hands, Red rolled up the cuff of her jeans (_oh shit, **his** jeans_) and showed him the long jagged scar. Her green eyes were pleading as she looked up at him again.

"It's healing. Tsugi did a great job." She wasn't sure how much trouble she would get into if she mentioned Lester. Darwin looked at the healing wound, taking it all in. Finally, he sat down in an old wooden rocking chair right across from her and languidly rested one boot on the armrest of the couch on which she sat. A reclining lion.

"They've been helpin' you. Both Lester and Tsugi. And you haven't done a goddamn thing to repay us. From now on, that changes. You work for me. Got a problem with that?"

Red shook her head, at a loss for words. Darwin studied her.

"Why did you move here? Of all places in the world, you had to move next to a family of assassins. There's a lot of places up for rent in town, why here?" He lightly rubbed his fingers together, his voice calm on the surface. But underneath his tone there lingered that threatening edge. "There somethin' you ain't tellin' us?

"No sir! I didn't even realize I'd moved next to a family of...a family like yours. I just bought this place because it was cheap. Cheaper than anyplace else." Red dropped her eyes finally, unable to bear the keenness of that gaze. "I didn't want to live in town. I couldn't. I can't. Sir I'm not going to be trouble for you and your family. I promise. And I'll do anything you need, although I think I've kind of shown that I'm not good at very many things."

"Yeah I figured, since you basically got your ass kicked by a tree." Darwin softly chuckled, smirking. His smile quickly faded a moment later and he looked her over again, staring down at her hands. He moved closer and turned his hands over to show Red the calluses on his palms. Red couldn't believe it, but her stomach actually gave a slight tingle as she caught the scent of his cologne. Old Spice and a hint of sweat. It was intoxicating. She bit her tongue hard to distract herself, concentrating on his words as he continued to speak. "These are the hands of a workin' man. You're gonna be workin' for me now and you'll learn how to stitch wounds, chop wood properly without nearly killin' yourself, maybe do a little cleanin' and other things. You will be doin' every dirty, menial job in the whole damn house an' on the grounds that no one else wants to do."

Red nodded eagerly, seeing a sudden ribbon of hope appearing through the black clouds of her situation.

"Anything! I will do anything at all you need, if you'll help me in return. You can work me as hard as you want. I'll cook, I'll clean, I'll dig ditches and carry wood as soon as I'm healed. Will you...will you let me stay without hurting me? I have no reason to tell the police about you or to disrespect your authority. Can we find a way to maybe coexist?"

She held her breath. There was a grinding sound, and suddenly lights flickered in the kitchen, went out again, flickered on. Then stayed on.

"Hell yeah! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" they both heard Lester exclaim from somewhere outside. Darwin held Red's eyes with his own, pinning her down more effectively than if he'd bound her with a chain.

"I don't have a reason to hurt you, not unless you do harm to my family, then that's all the reason I would need." His fingers curled to the palms of his hands as he cracked his knuckles, leaning back in the rocking chair. "We'll get along fine. Just as long as you listen to what I say and what my brothers tell you to do."

Red swallowed hard, remembering what Tsugi had said. _"It's worth everything I had to go through to stay here." _Her heartbeat suddenly seemed very loud in her ears, and she wondered what she was getting herself into.

"I'll do everything you say, Darwin. But you'll help me in return? I need food, medicine, and the ability to stay hidden."

"The ability to stay hidden." A small smile curved his full, sensual lips and he raised his hands, placing them down on his lap. "We got food, we got medicine and we know how to hide. You picked the right place to get a bum leg, Red." He softly chuckled, and looked around the cabin, pressing his foot on the floor to slowly rock the chair. "You'll be fine here."

"Tsugi said you might kill me."

Darwin continued to look around, scratching his lean chest, moving his hand up under his soiled shirt and revealing a flash of flat, sculpted stomach. Red blinked, bewildered by the attraction she felt. He was a monster! A killer! And…dear God, what was that tattoo on his left shoulder? Was that a naked woman? It was! Hands behind her back, legs indelicately spread across his armpit. It was quite possibly the worst body art Red had ever seen. Darwin followed her gaze and flashed a grin. "'Might kill you', not 'will'. I got myself a temper, I won't lie. But as long as you do what I ask, there won't be a reason you'll go and trigger it." He patted his shirt down and touched the bandage on his neck, looking back to Red as she sat across from him in a torment of confused fascination. "Anythin' else?"

Red looked down to where Bandit's sleek black tail was still visible trailing out from under the sofa.

"Do you keep your dog inside? I have a cat. I don't want him to get hurt."

Darwin slightly tilted his head and he stared at her. Then down to Bandit's tail, then back to meet her eyes once more.

"What dog? I don't got no pets. Just them strays Jeeves feeds. But no dogs."

Red's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"But what about the thing that bit Tsugi? She has a wound on her neck, a bad one. A bite mark from a dog. She told me herself."

Darwin chuckled and slapped his knee, then rose to his feet and looked down at her. It was not a pleasant laugh.

"That ain't no dog that bit her, it was my brother. You'll be meetin' him as soon as he gets better, should only be a few more days. Try not to turn your head away from him or make any fast movements, it tempts him. Boy's an animal."

"Oh my God…" Red moaned, putting a hand to her mouth. The door banged open, and Lester came in. If he was shocked by the presence of Darwin and the absence of Tsugi, he did not show it. Stoically, he clicked on the oven to heat the meat loaf and turned to the sink to wash his hands.

"Hey there Darwin."

"Lester. I will deal with you later."

"Sure thing. I see ya met Red."

Darwin nodded, looking down at Red but speaking to his brother.

"Yeah, I did. Red is gonna be doin' some work for us when she gets well enough." He paused, tilting his head. "And she just realized that we have a brother instead of a dog. She saw the bite mark on Tsugi."

Lester turned around, grimly tightening his jaw, and clicked the lights on and off, testing them, then came into the living room and flicked the switch on an ugly 1950's orange lamp on the end table. Nothing happened. He rooted in his tool box for a fresh bulb, swapped them out, flicked the switch, and the room was bathed in a warm cheerful light. He sighed and nodded.

"Best not ta piss off the baby brother, girl. Mind yer goddamn manners an' just stay outta his way. An' mine. An' Darwin's unless he tells ya what ta do. Tomorrow mornin' Imma need ya ta start stitchin' up some torn clothes, a couple blankets. Got an old sewin' machine I'll haul down. You just stay in yer house an' keep yer eyes on yer work."

Red bit her lip. The previous warmth of finding a glimmer of hope and safety was dying. A grown man, a human being, had BITTEN another? What the hell?

"Is he…safe?"

Darwin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Don't act scared around him because he likes that kinda thing. Don't go near him with an open wound either. He ain't completely 100% upstairs and he can take out a room of men by himself. Sure, I guess he's safe."

Red stared at him, then at Lester, feeling tears fill her eyes. Horror filled her chest.

"You…you're all crazy, aren't you?" She whispered. Darwin smiled a wolf's grin and opened the door.

"Pretty much."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After Darwin left, Red looked mutely at Lester while he opened a cardboard box of macaroni and cheese and began to fill a battered old pot with tapwater. He clicked the stove on to heat the burners and poured the contents of the box into the water the moment it began to boil.

"Watch close now. Imma show ya the secret ta makin' real good macaroni an' cheese." He told her, and held up the packet of cheese flavored powder. Red stared at him. It was surreal, the sight of this odd, rough fellow in her kitchen pinching a seasoning packet in his tattooed fingers as though it were a plague rat. She shook her head slowly.

"Okay, Lester," Red whispered, near tears, "Show me the secret to good macaroni and cheese."

Lester nodded his bald head once, then turned and hurled the powdered cheese into the trash.

"That's it right there. Heh." He went back to cooking with a satisfied grin. Red looked at the tabletop and tried to process everything that had just happened. The indentured servitude. The fact that this Jeeves fellow was clearly unstable and might attack anyone nearby with little to no provocation. Her heart beat a samba in her chest and her face felt hot, She wondered what Darwin might be doing to Tsugi right now.

"Your brother sent Tsugi back to the house. He was angry."

"Yep."

"Then he went back too, I think. Probably to fight with her."

"Yep."

Lester brought out a wheel of cheese and diced it, then opened a pint of cream and put both into a saucepan, setting it over low heat.

"I think he might punish her."

"Yep."

He added butter and garlic salt, then began mincing an onion with the fast precision of a master chef.

"He said he was going to deal with you, too."

"Yep."

"Well aren't you worried?"

Lester stopped chopping and turned around.

"Tsugi an' me is family. He ain't gonna kill us. Anythin' else, I kin fix. He'll have a stern conversation with her all right, but Tsugi knows her place an' she won't give him no sass. If she backtalked, Dar would give her what for. But she ain't the type ta backtalk none. An' as fer me…shit, Darwin ain't gonna take a belt ta me er nothin'. Good God, girl. We're fairly civilized. It'll be words. Now cool yer goddamn jets, ya actually made out real well."

"He wants me to be a slave! You know that was outlawed, right? The Civil War kind of put an end to the idea of one human being owning another!"

Lester snorted a laugh and checked the noodles with a battered fork.

"An' on top o' all the other annoyances ya present ta this family, ya gotta go bringin' up a sore subject like The War of Northern Aggression."

"The War of…seriously? Look, it's still slavery and it still scares me that he has this much power over me and I don't know if you're aware of this but the blue guys won!"

"Did they now?" Lester remarked mildly, tapping the fork on the side of the pot and giving the cheese mixture a stir, "Don't that just beat all. Darlin' the way I see it, yer over a barrel. Yer penniless, injured, ya got that sissified hairy dependent under the sofa yonder ta look after, yer about the shittiest woodswoman I ever did meet, an' the leader of this family ain't got a reputation fer sufferin' fools. But he's extendin' you mercy. Take it. 'Cause without our help yer as good as dead. An' in time after ya heal up a bit we kin have ourselves a discussion about who yer hidin' from an' why."

Red blanched, her face turning white. If Lester noticed this, he gave no indication. He poked at the noodles and nodded.

"Now that's what I call motherfuckin' al dente. Hope yer hungry."

"Perpetually." Red said faintly. Then it finally dawned on her what he was doing. "Lester…are you making me lunch?"

"Yep."

Red had no idea what to make of this.

"But why? I thought I was imposing and you hated me and I was a fat, useless, lazy, pathetic, citified bitch!"

"Hey now," Lester held up a hand, his back still to her, "I never called ya a bitch."

From her modest stores, supplemented even more by items brought down with him, Lester was able to create a sumptuous macaroni and cheese dish to go with the meat loaf, fresh corn and strawberries, and even a modest stack of white chocolate chip cookies he'd made the day before. Red was flabbergasted by his generosity, delivered with gruff unsmiling efficiency. She fell silent, gratitude making her docile.

They were just sitting down together when the door opened again and Tsugi returned. Composed and ever-graceful, she bent down and kissed Lester's cheek. Red looked her over with concern.

"Are you alright? What happened? Did he hit you?"

Tsugi didn't answer. She lowered her eyes and began washing the dishes. Lester took a sip of water and set the spotty glass down.

"We don't discuss family business, Red. Sooner ya learn that, the better. Eat yer food."

"Yes sir." Red found herself automatically replying. She took a bite of meat loaf, following it with some water, her eyes on Tsugi's slim back as she worked.

"How's yer leg been feelin'?" Lester interrupted her thoughts. Red looked back to him, swallowing.

"It's still sore. But the itch is gone. I've been leaving it dry when I take baths, propped on the rim of the tub like Tsugi told me to do. The throbbing doesn't wake me anymore."

Lester listened, nodding. They ate for a few minutes in silence, then he got to his feet and wiped his mouth, tossing the napkin on the table. He moved to stand behind Tsugi, wrapping his arms around her for a tight hug.

"Love ya, baby." He growled softly. Red felt a warmth in her chest as she witnessed this display of tenderness.

"I love you too, Wild One." Tsugi replied.

"Imma head up ta the house, talk with Dar."

"Be cautious. He's upset. And Jeeves knows that Red is here now."

Lester nodded and slipped his sunglasses on again.

"I figured that'd happen sooner er later. Can't avoid Jeevesie, the boy's got a curiosity bump the size o' Kilimanjaro. I'll keep him busy with dinner, let you two gals have some talkin' time. Darwin made Red an offer…she's ta serve the family in exchange fer our takin' care of her."

Tsugi paused, looking from Lester to Red and then back again.

"Oh?"

"Yep. If he's headed where I think he is, get her used ta the Rules. She'll be needin' 'em ta survive. See ya whenever." He said, and left.

Red looked mutely at Tsugi, who cleared her throat and sat down.

"There are a few things you should know about this family."

"What, other than the fact that you're all killers? That you have no respect for the power company and you believe in human slavery and you lied to me about being bitten by a dog?"

Tsugi rubbed her temple with one long, slim finger. Then she turned her liquid almond eyes on Red.

"I think we need to go over the Rules," she said softly, "Now that Darwin has brought you in."

"Slow down! I don't want to be part of this! I just need a little help to get on my own…"

"Red, I need you to listen to me very closely now. Your life kind of depends on it. Are you listening?"

Red nodded, biting her lip.

"You are in over your head. Please, let me teach you how to breathe."

Red felt like crying. She rubbed the back of one arm with her hand and looked over at the warm light glowing from the electric lamp against the cinnamon-colored wallpaper. She thought about the luxury of a hot bath. Cooking some actual food. Being warm. The ache in her chest eased slightly, and she looked back to Tsugi.

"I'm listening."

The other woman nodded, satisfied, and tipped a few modest spoonfuls of macaroni onto Lester's abandoned plate, then took a bite. Her eyes closed in pleasure for a moment.

"He is such an amazing cook. Now then…the Rules. You're new here. That means that you are not to leave the compound without permission. You will not be permitted use of a telephone, internet access, or other means of communication with the outside world until we can be sure that you're not going to present a security risk. You will be issued a two-way radio and you will be expected to keep it on and functioning at all times. I think you'll probably be coming up to the house a few times a week or even daily to work, and you will probably be traveling with one or more of the gentlemen after they've gotten used to you a bit." Tsugi reached up and touched her injury. "Yes, I lied to you. Jeeves can be aggressive. But he is not that way all the time and his brothers have a soothing effect on him. In addition to all of what I have just said, you will also be expected to completely open your life to the leader of this family. You'll have to tell Darwin the truth about everything, no holding back. He asks a question, you answer it."

"And why is that? Why do I have to just open my whole life and throw it all out there in exchange for a few meals and a place to stay? Did it ever occur to you that I might have some damn good reasons for running away from everything and coming to this place? It's not exactly the kind of life one would choose voluntarily unless they were completely insane." Red was on the verge of tears.

Tsugi reached across the table and touched her hand, eyes soft.

"It's to make certain that we can trust you, Red. And we need to be prepared to deal with whomever might be looking for you."

Red went still for a moment, then took Tsugi's hand in both of hers and just held it in silence. Bandit wandered into the kitchen and hopped onto the counter to stare contentedly out of the window at the golden light of oncoming evening. Red watched him, thinking about the cold nights spent in the car with the doors locked, trying to sleep but terrified to do so because of what she might wake up to. Would it be the police rapping sharply on the window? The car was stolen. Would it be gang members? She often parked overnight in bad neighborhoods where people were less likely to ask questions or look for her. Or would it be something worse…  
She would huddle in the dark, clutching Bandit to her chest and petting him until he fell asleep. She'd stolen food, begged for money, gone to churches for help, anything. Anything to survive. To feed her cat, her only friend left in the world.  
"Alright. Look…you and I both know you have me over a barrel here."

Tsugi slowly nodded, but there was no triumph in her eyes. Only a quiet strength and deep understanding. Compassion. Red took a long, slow breath and sighed.

"I'm in trouble. I can't be seen or found. I had to vanish and I can never ever go back. That animal on the counter there is the only living creature I have in my life anymore. I haven't even had a real friend until you came along."

"You're safe here. You don't have to leave the grounds. How did you buy this place?"

"Paid cash to a shady, lackluster excuse for a real estate agent who didn't ask any questions. I gave her everything I could scrape together and then some. This place is falling apart and it's on land that has no decent road access and no good foundation, land that was classified as fit only for seasonal use. The cottage itself should have been condemned. It's worth maybe $8,000 at the most. I gave her $10,000. She didn't even bat an eye when she accepted the name 'Gail Parsons' for the lease even though I'm obviously not the person on the driver's license I showed her. It was almost all the cash I had."

Tsugi's expression didn't change, but she nodded.

"Where did you get that kind of money?" she asked. Red shrugged.

"I stole it."

"Of course. From where?"

"Three drug stores and a convenience store. Small towns. I also stole that car. And I did some…some things…for money." Her eyes filled with tears, and she pulled her hand away and hugged herself. Tsugi bit her lip, implacable calm wavering slightly.

"You sold your body."

"Yes."

"You must have been phenomenally desperate to escape whatever it was you were running from."

"Yes."

"Do you have any family?"

"My parents are dead now. I had a little sister. But she's in hiding with friends of friends of friends of a cousin. As far away from me as possible, as though she were dead too. I had to hide her. She's…special. I told her that I loved her, and that she would need to keep quiet about her real name. I don't know a thing about her current situation or even if she's alright. She's gone. That cat is all I have left."

Tsugi got up from the table and moved to take Red in her arms, rubbing her back.

"Whatever you are afraid of, we can help."

"No one can." Red started to cry. Tsugi fumbled in her pocket, pulling out a cell phone. Red put her hand on her friend's arm. "Please don't. Let me g-get control of myself."

"Red, it's going to be alright. I promise. Take a few deep breaths and just relax. You made it. You're fine, and you're safe. You and your cat."

"I'm a human slave living in a shotgun shack right before winter next to a group of assassins. And one of them bites. How am I safe?" She was sobbing now. Tsugi kept rubbing her back.

"You are. Believe me, you are. There is no way you can know what these men are capable of. And Darwin Tremor, the leader of this family, has extended his protection over you. That means something immense, Red." Tsugi tilted her face up and wiped away her tears with her thumbs. Red let out a deep, shuddering sigh and nodded.

"I'm grateful. If what you say is true, then I am so grateful I can barely speak."

A smile lit Tsugi's eyes, and she straightened up. Her gaze flicked over the room. The leaky walls with rags and plastic bags and duct tape stuffed into the cracks here and there. A bucket under a water stain in the ceiling over in the corner. The sagging sofa. She pursed her lips and ran a hand over her stomach. Then she resolutely began wrapping up the food and putting it away.

"Get your cat and a change of clothes. You're coming up to the house tonight. You need to be around people. This isolation isn't healthy."

A little color drained from Red's face, and she chewed her lip.

"Is it…"

"Safe? After all the things you've been through, I think you're asking the wrong question here. Get your things." For a moment, the tall willowy Asian looked very much like her fiancé. Her tone did not invite argument. Red reluctantly got to her feet and limped to her room to collect some clothing, then came out again and picked up Bandit. Tsugi clicked off the lights and opened the door, letting in a modest gust of cool air.

"Is this going to be alright? I didn't get the feeling that Darwin was the type to welcome houseguests."

"There's no telling how he will react. But I'm not leaving you down here to sleep alone. If he wishes to have a discussion, then he is welcome to have it with me."

* * *

They walked up to the house as the sun was setting over the far hills, and Red hugged Bandit to her chest with a sense of rising nervousness coupled with the aching torment of hope. Tsugi reached over and laid a comforting hand on Red's shoulder as she swung the door open and they stepped into the warm yellow kitchen. It was just as Red remembered it, clean and cozy. Candles and oil lamps were lit here and there, and a fire in the hearth. The television was on, some inane hunting show. Lester sat at the kitchen table servicing a wicked-looking array of handguns. He looked up in surprise.

"Aw hell. Wondered when you were gonna bring her up."

Tsugi leaned down and kissed his cheek. Darwin lay on the sofa in nothing but a pair of jeans, watching the program on the flickering set. His eyes narrowed as he turned to behold the new arrival, and slowly he sat up.

"Love of God, Tsugi. You just don't know when to quit." He touched his belt buckle slightly, and to Red's surprise she felt Tsugi tense up beside her for a fraction of a second.

"It's going to be cold down there tonight, Darwin. And her house leaks. She'll be no good to you sick."

Darwin seemed on the verge of saying something sarcastic, but as he looked into Red's eyes he fell silent and sighed.

"Fine. Whatever. Put her up in the guest room or somethin'. Did you have to bring that animal?"

There was a heavy thud from down the hall, then another. And then, like something from an old horror film, the largest man Red had ever seen in her life emerged from one of the rooms off to the side. He was immense, well over six feet, solid as granite, wearing flannel pajama bottoms and a tank top that barely stretched across his broad chest. His hair was cut into a long Mohawk, slightly messy from sleep. His mustache was shaved into a thin line above his lip and up his grinning cheeks. Twinkling blue eyes, big and happy, looked down at her as he drew closer. The wall hit Red in the back, and she startled. She hadn't even been aware that she'd backed up that fast. Darwin chuckled.

"Play nice, Jeeves."

The giant stopped right in front of Red and reached out both massive hands toward her, and Red gasped and squeezed her eyes shut immediately. But nothing happened. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes. Jeeves was looking sadly at her, noting her reaction. And in a deep, slow voice that rumbled in his chest, he spoke.

"I juss wanted ta pet the kitty," he said, "I wasn't gonna hurt yew."

Red looked at Tsugi, who nodded, then at Lester, who inclined his head toward his younger brother.

"Jeevesie here loves animals."

"He…he does?"

"He's real purdy. Kin I pet him?"

"Will you be gentle?"

"Yeah."

"Please don't hurt him. He's defenseless and I love him very much. I'm begging you."

"I'll be gentle." Jeeves growled benignly. Red relaxed her death grip on the cat, leaning forward.

"There ya go, big fella. Nice an' gentle." Lester said softly. And Jeeves was extremely gentle, lightly stroking Bandit's black-and-white head and under his chin until the piebald cat closed his eyes in pleasure and began to purr. Tears sprang afresh to Red's eyes as she beheld the genuine joy evident in Jeeves's expression.

"Would you...like to hold him?"

Jeeves grinned broadly, his face lighting up like a child's.

"Yeah! Kin I?"

"Come sit on the couch and hold him proper, damn it. We don't need a mess in here." Darwin told him, and Jeeves immediately walked to the couch and sat down as his eldest brother moved over to make room for him. Red followed, then knelt down and set Bandit on the big man's thickly muscled thighs. He raised a paw and began to clean himself, oddly relaxed and content. It was the most wonderfully out of character thing in the world for her cowardly cat to have done, and Red suddenly felt the tension fall from her like frost from a pumpkin warmed in the sun. Jeeves was completely preoccupied with the cat, and Red raised her eyes to look at Darwin. He wasn't scowling at her this time. He smiled, and in that instant it was as though the sun had broken free from the clouds and shone fully upon her for the first time.

"Thanks." Darwin told her. That one word felt more important to her than anything had in a long, long time. Red blushed.

"You're welcome."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

While Jeeves petted and chortled happily over Bandit, Lester made a cup of tea for Red, which Tsugi brought to her along with another beer for Darwin. He cracked it open with a deft hand, his blue eyes on Red while she sipped her tea.

"So how long you been on the run, girl?" Darwin demanded.

"About…about three years."

"You should have gotten better at it by now."

Red ducked her head slightly, rubbing her scar, and didn't quite know what to say to that. Darwin leaned back on the sofa, relaxed and confident. But even at rest there was something indescribably menacing about him. They all had it, all three of the brothers. Like the blue eyes they shared and the soft country-boy accents, the palpable sense of danger and even ruthlessness adhered to them like perfume to a rose. Red jumped slightly when Tsugi touched her shoulder.

"I'm going to make up the guest room for you. It's at the very end of the hall across from the stairs to the basement. I'll put a pan of cat litter in there, and some food and water for your pet. And I'll add a few extra blankets to your bed. This old place is a bit drafty. I have a feeling the rains aren't finished tonight. If you get too cold, feel free to come out here to the living room and sleep on the couch. It's the warmest spot in the whole house."

"I can't thank you enough."

Jeeves hugged Bandit to his chest and tickled his furry belly, then looked at Red.

"Kin I have him in ma' room someday fer a night? Dar won't let me have a kitty."

"Last thing we need is for you to roll over and kill something else in your bed, Jeeves. No means no."

"I ain't that bad. I wouldn't hurt a kitty even by accident. Yew juss have a mean, Darwin." Jeeves grumbled, sulking. Lester patted his shoulder, and Red felt a small stab of pity in her heart. She reached up and rubbed Bandit's head lovingly.

"Jeeves, would you be very, very gentle with him?"

The huge man looked at her guardedly, then nodded. His bottom lip quivered slightly.

"Yeah. He's real nice. I kin be gentle with fuzzies."

"You ain't never read 'Of Mice And Men', did ya." Darwin interjected. Red ignored him.

"I believe you. Of course you can sleep with Bandit in your room. Just please leave the door open a crack. And we'll need to move the litter pan and food and water from the guest room to yours." Red said softly, worry giving way to compassion.

This time, Jeeves's face didn't just light up…he glowed. So much joy lit his features that it broke her heart to see the expression. He hugged the black and white cat to his chest and tears sparkled in the corners of his big blue eyes.

"Yew mean it? I kin have the kitty in ma' room tonight? Fer real?"

"Love of God, here we go." Darwin tipped his head back against the sofa and shut his eyes in mock exasperation. Lester laughed and rubbed Jeeves's shoulder fondly, the way a soldier would pat his favorite combat canine.

"Yes," Red said warmly, and she actually felt a smile lifting her own face. Jeeves carefully set Bandit aside and leaned forward to grip her hand in one of his huge warm paws, hauling her up off the floor and against the broad muscular plain of his hard chest. He gave her a squeeze, and something popped in her back.

"GAH!" she squeaked.

"Jeeves! Be gentle! She's a city thing!" Lester cautioned. Jeeves relaxed his grip, snuffling her hair.

"Thank yew, Red. Yer ma' friend now." He rumbled. And Red, her heart softened by equal parts mortal terror and motherly warmth for the big sweet man-child, wriggled a hand free and patted his side.

"You're welcome Jeeves. You're…you're my friend too."

He tugged Bandit back into his lap after a few minutes, relaxing his grip on Red enough to allow her to shift off of his lap and onto the sofa beside him. Uncomfortably close to Darwin, pressed against his side. She started to get up.

"Stay there. You feel kinda good." Darwin told her, and took another sip of beer. He didn't look at her. There was a very long, awkward silence. Finally, Lester rose to his feet.

"Well. I think it's about time fer me ta get a start on dinner. Tsugi, you wanna help me in the kitchen?"

"Of course, Wild One. You look sexy in an apron." Tsugi teased, and got to her feet as well, giving Red a comforting wink in response to her pleading look. The two of them withdrew into the kitchen, and Darwin turned to look down at Red. This close to him she could pick out the golden highlights in the scruffy roguish stubble on his cheeks and chin. God, those eyes. He smirked, and Red had to fight an urge to sigh and swoon like a schoolgirl.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?_" she thought to herself, but only for a moment. There was nothing wrong with her. He was gorgeous. But she scooted back slightly anyway. Unfortunately, her escape route was blocked by the immense chuckling bulk of Jeeves, who had Bandit laid on his back across his knees, tickling his small black nose with his own tail-tip.

"Who's a nice kitty? Yew're a nice kitty! Who has the longest whiskers? Yew have the longest whiskers! Who has the cutest feet? Yew have the cutest feet! Ah-hah!"

Darwin reached across Red and swatted Jeeves in the back of the head.

"OW!"

"Stop talkin'. Why you gotta talk, goddammit? Take that thing in your room and make out with it there, this is gettin' hard to watch."

"Oh, now…" Red started, but a look from the eldest Tremor silenced her as effectively as a hand over the mouth. Grumbling, Jeeves heaved himself to his feet and carried her best friend with him to his bedroom. But he left the door open as instructed, and after a moment she heard him quietly resume his playful cooing. She relaxed slightly.

"He wouldn't hurt my cat, right?"

Darwin shook his head.

"Probably not. He does love his animals. Got about a hundred of 'em all over the damn place. He thinks I don't know that he feeds them all the stuff he don't want from dinner, but I ain't stupid and he ain't stealthy."

Red was quiet then. She turned back to look into the fire, and scooted away a few inches. This time he let her. He took another sip of beer and sighed.

"Tomorrow if the weather's decent I'll have Lester take a look at your place, see what needs to be fixed and how much it's gonna run. Then I'll have Jeeves cut you enough wood to keep you and the cat warm. I don't want you messing with that hatchet anymore, understand me? We will provide you with fuel."

"Y-yes sir. Thank you. I won't touch the ax again, I promise."

"See that you don't. I'll send a two-way down with Les and Tsugi so that we can communicate whenever we need to. That thing beeps, you answer. I do not care what you are doing at the time. Got it?"

Red nodded. Darwin turned and leaned back against the armrest, lifting his legs up onto the couch, and he unceremoniously draped them across her thighs.

"Rub my feet." He told her. There was a mischievous gleam to his eyes, nearly impish. Red suppressed an urge to pinch him. She gingerly reached down and began to lightly rub the slightly damp be-socked feet in her lap. She said not a word, but when he impatiently sighed and wiggled his toes she rubbed a little harder.

"That's better, girl. Put your back into it." He smiled, and shut his eyes. For a split second, sheer murder flashed through Red's heart. She bit down on the tip of her tongue hard enough to draw blood.

_"Dick." _She thought sourly. But she kept rubbing, even after she realized he'd fallen asleep. With his eyes closed, his chest slowly rising and falling, strands of wheat-colored hair falling across his forehead…he looked almost sweet. Just a simple country boy resting after a long day. Red's hands stilled on his feet. Stealthily, she reached for his hand and touched it, slipping her fingers underneath his warm, calloused palm. He shifted slightly, grunting in his slumber, and then was still. Red turned her hand over and rubbed the underside of his palm lightly, feeling a not unpleasant warmth in her stomach.

* * *

Lester cooked steaks and whipped potatoes while Tsugi quietly laid out the plates and silverware, brought a jug of whiskey to set beside Darwin's place at the head of the table, and filled a large plastic Spongebob cup with grape juice from the refrigerator. As she moved to add another log to the fire, Tsugi glanced over at Red and Darwin on the sofa in the dim light.

"Is he asleep?" she whispered. Swiftly, Red jerked her hand from under his and went back to rubbing his foot, blushing hotly.

"He, I think, I mean…I think so. Yes. He told me to rub his feet, so…"

Tsugi smiled, seeing her discomfiture, and laid the log on the hearth.

"It's a far cry from having you shoot someone in the face, Red. I wouldn't lament it if I were you. Dinner's ready. Slide on out and freshen up in the bathroom down the hall there if you like. I put a pair of Darwin's pants and a t-shirt on your bed. Some warm socks. Get comfortable and come have dinner."

Red didn't need to be asked twice. She carefully scooted to the side and off the couch, gently dropping his feet to the cushions. Then she headed down the hall, past Jeeves's open door. He lay on his stomach on a ludicrously small double bed, watching Bandit wash himself on his pillow. His room was a fascinating mixture of little boy and cold-blooded killer. Crayon art adorned the walls, and an assortment of axes, chainsaws, machetes, sledgehammers, and assault rifles lay propped here and there, or hung from hooks right next to smiling suns over vivid green meadows full of smiling flowers. A large poster of Patrick Starfish and his best friend Spongebob hung reverently over his bed. Kevlar body armor stood on a rack in the corner beside a net of stuffed animals. It was the room of a hard core sociopath, and it gave Red the creeps to the middle of her soul. She paused. Jeeves turned his head to the side, seeing her there. He grinned.

"Hi."

"H-hi. That's a nice….picture of a happy frog."

Jeeves heaved himself up into a sitting position and looked at the picture.

"Yeah, thass one of my favorites. I like how his legs turned out." He said, rubbing his nose. They looked at one another silently. And then Red did something totally uncharacteristic and foolish and brave. She walked into his room and sat down on the bed next to him. Jeeves seemed surprised by this. And as Red realized what she'd done, she was surprised too.

"Bandit seems to like you."

"He's a real nice kitty. Dar won't let me have a kitty. But I feed the ones outside an' also I feed the squirrels an' thangs. I love animals. I feed the mice too but that drives Lester crazy an' then he has a big mad."

His voice was deep. Soft. And those eyes were so blue that they looked like the noon sky. Something about him was so familiar. The childlike speech pattern, the emotional simplicity, the easy shift from anger to joy to sorrow to delight. And then it clicked.

He reminded her of her younger sister.

"Jeeves, do you know what Autism is?"

The massive body shifted beside her, bed springs creaking as he turned to look down at her, and his voice dropped slightly.

"What did yew juss call me?"

Red felt her heart suddenly stop beating in her chest. It came to her that maybe calling a six foot seven, roughly two hundred twenty pound killing machine Autistic in his own room might not be the best way to make nice.

"No!"

"I ain't retarded." He had a hint of a growl in his voice, the sound a grizzly bear makes when it's just waking up. He stared at Red.

She shook her head vigorously and put one hand on his knee.

"Oh God no! Jeeves, no. It does NOT mean retarded! It's…special. You're gifted. It means you're gifted in ways other people aren't. I…shit, I'm doing this wrong. I'm sorry."

He tilted his head, watching her, and then looked down to where her hand rested on his leg. After a moment, he sighed.

"No one's ever said sorry ta me before."

"I am. I mean, being Autistic isn't bad, if you were. My own sister is. Glory. She's a doll, an absolute delight. She's just special. Different in a good way. Jeeves, I never meant to hurt your feelings. I like you."

A big grin broke out on Jeeves's face, and he put his arm around her.

"I like yew too. Thanks fer sayin' I'm special. I like bein' special. Thass nice."

Red relaxed finally, as much as she could relax while pinned between his python-sized arm and his bodybuilder's torso. She looked up at him and patted his chest.

"Absolutely. Now I need to change into something comfortable. And dinner's ready. Are you hungry? I think Lester made steak."

Jeeves got to his feet and stretched, towering over her. He headed for the hallway.

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat. Imma vegetarian." He said brightly, taking a fluffy bathrobe down from a peg on the wall between a serrated bone saw and a set of prison-issue shackles. Then he wandered out. Red blinked, a little stunned by the irony, and went to get ready for dinner.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Her first meal with the Tremor family was informal, relaxed, and punctuated by a sense of camaraderie between the brothers that the women largely sat back and observed. Tsugi wore a look of warm fondness, Red an expression of interest. Lester was devoted and almost maternal as he insured that plates and cups were kept full and no one went hungry. He especially doted on Tsugi, pouring more hot water into her teacup when it was running low and rubbing her thigh under the table. Jeeves kept shooting furtive looks down to the floor at his feet, where Bandit…ever the intelligent animal…waited patiently for the inevitable dropped chunk of meat. The fact that Jeeves was an avowed vegetarian but nevertheless took a portion of steak and cut it immediately into tiny kitty-bite-size chunks made his secrecy particularly endearing in Red's eyes. Darwin was less moved by the display.

"Goddammit, Jeeves. That's a perfectly good steak you're throwin' to a mangy alley cat."

"He's not mangy! He's ma' friend!"

"Excuse me," Red finally said softly, coldly, "He happens to be my friend too."

Darwin regarded her, tilting his head slightly. Then he cut a piece off his own steak and tossed it to the floor.

"C'mere, furball. Get a little fat on you, damn it."

Lester and Tsugi exchanged looks, but Red didn't even notice. She was watching Darwin, warmth filling her chest. It was the first gesture of kindness she'd really seen from him, grudging as it appeared. And she filed it away in her heart, and never forgot it for the rest of her life.

The rest of the meal passed in an atmosphere of contentment and good-natured ribbing. There was more food than Red had seen in a long time, and though at first she hung back, soon she found herself relaxing right along with everyone else. The Tremor family was unconventional, odd, unapologetically redneck and charmingly countrified. They were also, much to Red's shock, absolute racists. The White Supremacist kind. She noticed this when Jeeves, who was sitting closest to the stove, casually pulled off his shirt and draped it over the back of his chair. In the center of his chest was a monochromatic prison-style tattoo of a large motorcycle roaring forth, clouds of road dust behind it. And sitting astride the great machine, hair flowing behind him, a cocky scowl on his familiar features, was Adolph Hitler. He was flipping the middle finger. Red stared at it.

"Oh my God, that's the most hideous tattoo I've ever seen!" she exclaimed in shock before she could stop herself. In fear and horror at her outburst, she raised a hand to her mouth. But Jeeves only chuffed a deep laugh and helped himself to more potatoes.

"Yeah. The guy really screwed up the front wheel an' the smoke. So I stabbed him. Ah-hah."

Lester narrowed his eyes at her.

"You got a problem with Hitler? You one o' them self-hatin' whites er somethin'?"

It was a tricky moment. On the one hand, Red had never once considered herself a self-hating anything. Nor was she a racist by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, her own little sister had been adopted from a very young, unwed Jewish mother. Some of the people upon whose kindness Red had found herself compelled to rely were African American. But on the other hand, to make a moral stand against racism right at this moment, when it was freezing outside and she had only a leaky cabin awaiting her…hey, protecting the First Amendment rights of the people who were feeding her, giving her warmth and shelter, snuggling her cat and offering her protection just seemed more important than making a stand for equality.

"You know…this is really hard. My great grandfather died in Dachau." She whispered. Tsugi coughed. Jeeves put his fork down. Lester stared at her over the tops of his spectacles. Darwin stopped chewing.

"Are you fuckin' serious?" he asked. Red nodded solemnly, her eyes sad.

"Yes," she replied, "It was tragic. Devastated the whole family. He…he fell off a guard tower."

Darwin laughed, shaking his head.

"Hah! Nice."

Red grinned back, and when they both reached for their water glasses at the same time their hands bumped. She was certain it wasn't an accident.

* * *

After supper they all retired to the warm living room to indulge in more whiskey, to watch the trees' manic dance in the moonlight outside through the window, to talk or not talk as the mood dictated. Tsugi threw another log on the fire and sat down on the floor at Lester's feet, leaning back against his leg and pillowing her head on his knee. Jeeves settled onto the sofa, which creaked under his heavy muscular frame, and contentedly ran his hands over Bandit. A log snapped, outside the wind picked up. Red could hear it moaning in the trees, followed by the soft rattle of rain on the rooftop. Lester sighed and stretched, and Jeeves cradled Bandit like a baby and rubbed the bridge of the sleepy cat's nose with one finger.

"He's shuttin' his eyes. He has a happy."

"That means he likes you, honey." Tsugi told him gently, and Jeeves beamed. Lester leaned down to rub his fiancé's shoulders.

"Mmm, that feels magnificent, Les. Thank you." She said, relaxing. Darwin nudged Red with his foot.

"Are you particularly good at anythin', baby?"

Red hugged her knees to her chest and looked up at him where he sat in a large armchair by the fire. She swallowed hard.

"I'm decent at writing. I like to organize things, and I'm just great at redecorating on a budget. And I…I can play the tuba pretty well. Marching band." She finished lamely. There was a long pause. Lester coughed to cover a chuckle. Tsugi's face remained impassive, but her eyes twinkled with merriment. Jeeves's open, sweet-natured face broke into a wide grin.

"Tuba playin'. Ah-hah." He laughed softly.  
Darwin shook his head in disgust.

"Interior design and high school marchin' band bullshit, Red? Is that the best you got? What can you do that might benefit a family like ours?"

Red looked at the floor and sadly shook her head. It was then that Tsugi's quiet voice broke through the stillness.

"She's brave. She's determined. She is a survivor. She's willing to learn. And she's my friend. Those things alone make her beneficial to this family. I think in time her other talents will become apparent."

Darwin's bright blue eyes turned to regard Tsugi, weighing her words. After a moment, he looked at Red.

"Brings me to the obvious question, darlin'. You're not livin' down in that shotgun shack for your health. What's your story?"

It was the moment of truth. Red turned around fully to face him, her back to the warm fire, and in a trembling voice began to speak.

"I've told Tsugi a little about my past. How I got the cabin and made it here. It's not pretty. I…I did some things."

Darwin's eyes glittered. He smirked.

"Oh yeah? Did you knock over a lemonade stand or something'? Maybe smash your baby brother's piggy bank? What kinda hardened criminal are we dealin' with?"

"No. No lemonade stands or piggy banks. More like convenience stores and a small town bank and a CVS."

"Well I'll be." Lester laughed quietly, sizing her up. Darwin shook his head.

"Bullshit. You ain't no bank robber."

Red blushed crimson and reached down to pick the remote control up off of the coffee table. Steely-eyed, she pressed it against Darwin's forehead. She snarled at him, her voice hollow.

"All the money in the bag right now, or your wife is going to be sobbing over a closed casket."

There was a click.

"Put…the…remote…down." Lester growled. Something cold touched Red's neck, and all the fight went out of her. She backed up and laid the remote on the table again, her mouth going dry. Darwin chuckled and slapped his knee, genuinely amused.

"Well, well. Got yourself a little streak of danger in you after all. So that's why you don't want to be found. At ease, Lester. Don't need two closed-casket funerals in this house."

"Jesus! It was just a remote!" Red whispered.

Lester grumbled and moved the weapon away, stashing it in the back of his waistband. Through it all, Jeeves seemed oblivious, as though it were commonplace to witness such things in the living room. He tickled Bandit's chin, rumbling down at him.

"Nice kitty. Yew're so soft an' gentle."

Red turned to stare at Lester.

"Do you always carry a loaded gun in your pants?"

Lester grinned and Tsugi covered her mouth with her hand to stifle a giggle.

"Every goddamn day," Lester retorted, "You just watch yer manners around our leader, ya hear me?"

Darwin laughed, enjoying the spectacle, and Red slowly sat down on the floor again with her ears ringing and her palms damp. Tsugi took pity on her and cleared her throat.

"Would anyone like some wine? Whiskey?" she got to her feet.

"Wine." Lester nodded.

"Whiskey." Darwin said evenly, still looking Red over with that unsettling gaze. She met his eyes and didn't look away.

"The same." She said.

"Two whiskeys and a wine. Got it. Jeeves?"

"I want apple juice."

Tsugi smiled fondly and nodded. While she fetched the drinks, Red kept her eyes on Darwin. He kept his eyes on her, and God they were blue.

"So you can do a couple gutsy things," he said softly, almost gently, "And we got them intimidatin' tuba skills you mentioned. I gotta tell you, Red, you kinda amuse me. You're almost like a professional comedian, only I don't think you were laughin' much when you damn near sliced off your leg there."

Red sadly shook her head.

"No sir."

"So what would drive an inept, marchin'-band suburbanite gal like yourself to turn bank robber? What in the hell are you runnin' from? And what's with you and that cat?"

It was a bad moment. Red didn't want to open up this deeply, this fast. Not even to someone who was offering her a kind of protection. Red looked from Lester to Jeeves to Darwin, shivering.

"I'm running from someone."

"Figured as much. You feel like tellin' me who?"

Red bit her lip. Tsugi came back and placed a glass of deep amber whiskey in her hand, followed by a pat on her shoulder.

"Can we just kind of…kind of work up to that part?"

A sheet of lightening lit the sky outside, and thunder crashed a moment later. Bandit jumped a little in Jeeves's arms. For a moment, Red wished she could climb into someone's arms. She looked up at Darwin, and her eyes stung.

"I'm not ready."

He sighed and rubbed his knee.

"Alright then, Red. You take a little time. Just relax. You're safe now, anyway. Only a damn fool would come for you here." Shrewdly, he looked out the window through the black rainy night, narrowing his eyes. "They might still be comin' for you, won't they."

It was not a question. Every eye in the room turned toward her suddenly, all of them waiting for the response.

Red felt like she was going to throw up. Finally, she nodded.

"God please. Please Darwin don't throw me out. I know this is bringing possible trouble to the family. I know I might be putting you all in danger. But I am out of money and I have nowhere left to run. This is where I have to lie down and let it happen. Right h-here." She drew in a deep, shuddering breath and looked around at all of them. For an excruciatingly long time, Darwin simply stared at her. Then he leaned forward in his chair and brushed away a tear from her cheek.

"Stop that now. You just stop. Ain't no one's comin' to get you here. Believe me." He half-smiled, a menacing little smirk that Red found strangely comforting.

"How can you be so sure? You don't even know who's after me."

"Darlin', I don't care if the goddamn Russian Mafia was after you. This is Tremor territory, and we're the largest and most feared family of serial killers in the nation. Hell, the world maybe. Someone wants to terrify a little tuba-playin', bank-robbin', crappy-ass lumberjack on my land…he'd better bring a fuckin' army." His blue eyes turned deadly. "You're mine. This family saved you. We protect what belongs to us. Now get me another whiskey, no ice."

He handed her his empty glass. Stunned, she took it. Then, with gratitude filling her heart to the top and overflowing, Red rose to her knees and threw her arms around him.

"Whoa now." Lester chuckled, and Tsugi touched her fingertips to her lips to still the small smile that spontaneously arose. Jeeves gave a soft 'Awww'.

Darwin slowly put one arm around Red's back, lowering his head to catch the scent of her hair. He blinked a few times, just hanging onto her. Then, embarrassed and afraid she'd gone too far, Red shifted back and smiled.

"I'll get your drink now."

"Yeah, I think that'd be best. And you're takin' a bath tonight, girl. You smell like dish soap."

"Any port in a storm, sir." Red responded cheerfully, and limped into the kitchen.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

It was almost unbelievably pleasant, stretching out under fresh sheets with a full stomach, watching the little rivers of rainwater catch the light from the hallway. Red snuggled under a thick quilt and listened to the sleeping house. Jeeves gently snored in his bedroom, the door partly open to allow Bandit to wander should he wish to. But the cat had fallen in love, and refused to leave the giant's side.  
"Faithless animal." Red grumbled. She was grateful, though, that he had settled in so well. The rain sounded soothing. Tender, a pattering of miniature drumbeats against the windowpane.

Suddenly a quiet noise drew her attention to the wall nearest her bed. She rolled over, listening, and heard muffled voices. Lester's voice. His room must be right next to hers.

"…got you, baby. Just relax."

He sounded gentle, his tone soft and reassuring. Tsugi's higher voice was easier to hear.

"I love you so much, Lester. You're amazing."

"I love you too. Lie back, darlin'."

Red bit her lip, blushing. Oh God, they were making love. The bed creaked, she could hear them breathing.

"Kiss me." Tsugi gasped.

Red found it strangely moving to curl up in the dark and listen to such a warm display of affection, passion and love. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the last time anyone treated her with that level of compassion and desire.

No one, really. There had been no one. Men just took what they wanted from her in the past. Some for money, some for food or warmth or the wild desperate hope that she would be loved. The result was always the same. An empty bed and an empty heart and an empty soul. Each experience had only left her emptier.

Red sat up in bed, wrapping her arms around her knees and looking at the door, the hallway. Across the hall and to the right, Darwin's door was closed. She wondered if she would be expected to sleep with him. If he would give her a day and time or just command her to get in the bedroom and perform without warning her first. If maybe he was the type to prefer rape. He seemed stern and ruthless, but there was a strange aloof intellect there as well. Almost aristocratic, as though he wore the disguise of a redneck madman just to be ironic and toy with the world. Damn it, he was hard to read. Maybe she was supposed to go to him and show initiative.

Twenty minutes passed while she silently rocked in bed, tormented by indecision and lost in thought. There was a small, climactic whimper through the wall. Red shivered.

"Darwin." She whispered, tasting his name on her tongue. There wasn't a sound now from the room next door. Just the moaning of the wind outside, the restless tapping of the tree branches against one another and against the roof. Red took a deep breath.

Held it in.

Let it out slowly.

She pulled back the covers and slid out of bed. Her feet hit the chilly floor, the soft carpet like dry cool moss between her toes.

"Now or never." Softly the words hissed under her breath. Fear and a strange icy tingle of anticipation thrilled down her spine as she stepped into the hall and crossed to his bedroom. Briefly she considered knocking, but she didn't want to risk anyone else hearing her.

Slowly, carefully, she eased his door open and stepped into the darkness of his room. Her hands were shaking, palms sweaty, mouth dry. It seemed that every breath was very loud in the silent room.

"_What am I doing?" _She thought to herself.

The room smelled of gun oil, sweat, leather, a hint of Old Spice. The musky aroma of maleness infused everything. Red's eyes gradually adjusted to the dim silver moonlight filtering in through the parted curtains. The double bed sat beneath the window, blankets rumpled and pillows askew. Red took a deep breath and moved forward, letting the door close behind her. She crept closer to the bed, one foot in front of the other. Her knees felt as though they were made of licorice whips. The source of all this nervosa was a complete mystery to her. She'd been with plenty of men, after all. Faceless, heartless, endless men. But this was different somehow.

She leaned down and touched the bed with one hand, tucking a curl behind her ear with the other.

There was something wrong. The bed was empty.

A strong arm went about her waist abruptly, and a hand went over her mouth. She was yanked hard against a lean, muscular body. Warm breath on her neck. A husky-low voice in her ear.  
"Well now," Darwin whispered, "What do we got here? You lost, Red?"

His voice had a deadly edge to it.

Red struggled in his grip, but he held her tight until she finally stilled. Her heart was pounding in her chest faster and harder than it ever had in her life. Darwin's left hand stayed firmly over her mouth to keep her silent while his right hand trailed over her body. He patted her down, checking her hands and the waistband and pockets of the flannel pants she wore. Finally, when he was satisfied that she carried no weapon, he wrapped his arm around her waist and arms and held her immobile. They simply breathed for a few moments together in the darkness. Red was trembling in his stern embrace, breathing hard through her nose. She closed her eyes and tried to fight down a wave of panic.

But it wasn't there.

All at once she realized that she wasn't afraid. A little burst of something akin to pleasure radiated from every point of contact between their bodies. And judging by the undeniable evidence pressing against the soft flesh of her lower back, she was not alone in her arousal. Darwin was breathing a little heavier as well. His voice was like velvet when he spoke to her, low and warm.

"I'm gonna move my hand now. If you scream, you will regret it. You'll wake the whole house, which includes Jeeves. Believe me, Red, you do not wanna do that. Now do you plan to make a fuss if I let you go?"

Red shook her head as much as she could, trembling. Slowly, Darwin released her.

"Start talkin'. Why the hell are you in my bedroom at three o'clock in the goddamn mornin'?" He demanded. Red slowly turned to face him, backing up only slightly. She didn't know how to tell him that she was there to settle her debt and remain in his good graces. In the past, the men had wordlessly taken what they felt was their due. It was best not to fight. It was best to make it look consensual. But faced with Darwin's annoyance and seemingly genuine bewilderment, Red didn't know what to say. Her eyes dropped to his bare chest of their own accord. He wore only a pair of loose blue and white boxer shorts on his lean frame, everything else on display. His messy topknot of dark golden hair fell into his arresting blue eyes, his tattoos standing out starkly against his pale flesh.

"Speak up, Red. I'm losin' patience with all this silence."

Red wet her dry lips and took a deep breath. Then she reached up and lay her palm against his warm, bare chest.

"I thought….I should come to you first." She whispered. Darwin looked down at her, his eyes searching her face. Then he put his hand on hers and slid the other around to caress the small of her back. Red was already trembling but she took a deep breath and allowed herself to be pulled against him.

It was going to happen. This had to be paid for. Best not to fight. It would hurt less if she didn't fight.

Darwin's stubble scratched the tender flesh of her neck as he leaned down to kiss her throat. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the thought of a warm bed, Bandit's drowsy velvet purr, Lester's fantastic cooking. Slowly, the azure-eyed leader of the Tremor family drew her toward the bed and turned her around, pushing her down onto the rumpled blankets. He was gentler than she'd expected him to be, more sensual and less greedy or rough. His hand moved up to cup her cheek, his lips like summer rain on her skin.

Red didn't resist, nor did she hold him. Instead, she lay passively back with her eyes squeezed shut as she felt his other hand touch her chest, calloused palm against her sensitive nipple. He kissed a trail softly up her neck to her chin, and then she felt his warm breath on her lips.

Darwin hesitated.

"Open your eyes." He commanded.

Obediently, Red's eyes flickered open and she looked up at him. There were no tears. She had shed them all long ago in such situations. Long seconds passed. Darwin stroked her cheek and looked into her eyes. Something changed in his expression. He sighed. And then he did something that Red was not prepared for. He kissed her forehead and rolled off.

"Go to sleep. You gotta be tired." He said, and lay down on his stomach with his head pillowed on his arms, getting comfortable.

Red lay stunned for a moment.

"Don't you…"

"Nope."

"But I thought…"

"You thought I was the kind of hard-up sumbitch who would expect a penniless wounded woman to fuck me in exchange for food and shelter. Yeah. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You got a lot to learn about this family, Red. And a lot to learn about me. Just go to sleep."

She didn't know what to say. There seemed to be nothing, really. Not even an apology seemed appropriate at this point. Slowly, Red started to get up. Darwin didn't move, but his voice stopped her.

"I didn't tell you to leave. I told you to go to sleep."

"Here? In your bed? Shouldn't I go back to the guest room?"

He grunted and turned his head to look at her.

"You go out there and you'll run into problems."

"What do you mean? What problems?"

"Les and Tsugi are makin' love, ain't they."

Red was nonplussed. She had no idea what that had to do with anything. Her cheeks reddened.

"I don't know."

Darwin snorted in derision.

"Sure you do. They ain't exactly discreet and your room is right next to theirs. If I knew they were getting' a little action in there, guess who else knows."

Red shook her head slightly, not understanding.

"Um…me?"

"Besides you. Jeeves is just up the hall. He can hear them. And he's about 80% pure animal."

"What? What do you mean? What's the other 20%?"

"Also animal, matter of fact. But I was tryin' to be polite. He's close to three hundred pounds of solid muscle and five inches shy of bein' a seven-footer. He has almost no impulse control, he follows his instincts and desires without ponderin' them a whole lot and he has no moral shut-off switch. And his blood is undoubtedly up after hearin' those two. He'll settle down, but it'll be a couple hours." He rolled onto his side and reached down to pull the blanket up over Red's shoulders. Glad of the warmth, she snuggled down a bit and rested her head on the pillow, listening as he spoke in that whiskey-soft Southern purr she was coming to appreciate.

"You go out there now and head on back to your room, you're gonna run into him. He don't exactly possess my level of mercy. Just make yourself comfortable and rest here. It's safe and clean, sheets just got changed yesterday. Lester's a great hausfrau. Just relax, I ain't gonna hurt you."

Red was quiet, thinking.

"What's wrong with Jeeves? He seemed so sweet."

Darwin's eyes narrowed.

"There ain't a goddamn thing wrong with him. He's just a little wild is all."

Red bit her lip, unwilling to upset him further by asking too many questions. He sighed.

"He didn't have the best upbringin'. None of us did, I guess. But Jeeves got the worst of it. Anhow, you just listen to me. Stay put. Probably a good thing you came in here anyway."

"He wouldn't hurt Bandit, would he?" The thought terrified her suddenly.

"Hell no, your cat's safe. In all the many years I've known my brother, he ain't ever harmed an animal. Boy loves his critters, every kind. He feeds 'em real well even though he thinks I don't know about it." Darwin rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling.

"He's free to do whatever he wants with his money. I spend mine on weapons and shit like that. Lester loves cookin' and readin'. We all got our hobbies."

Red studied his profile in the dim light.

"I miss having hobbies." She finally said. Darwin turned his head to look at her, and under the intensity of those blue eyes she found herself actually opening up. "I've been running too long. You forget how to relax and have fun."

"So remember again. It ain't like life's gonna just up and get easier on you if every little pleasure is stripped away. Even a man on his way to the gallows can appreciate a sunrise."

Red had never heard this viewpoint before, but it struck a chord in her. She tried to remember the last time she'd actually watched a sunrise and noted its beauty. Years, probably. A dull laugh emanated from somewhere within her, mirthless and slightly bitter.

"What are you, some kind of redneck Buddha?" she asked softly, but the moment the words were out, she regretted them. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean…"

Darwin chuckled, looking up at the ceiling again.

"Hell, it's alright. I been called worse."

They lay in silence for a little while, listening to the wind outside. Something creaked in the hallway, and Red stiffened. Darwin turned to look at her and she caught the glitter of his eyes in the dark, then the gleam of his teeth as he grinned.

"You heard him, didn't you. Yep, he's out there. Breathin' in the pitch black."

Without a thought, Red cuddled closer to him, laying her hand on his bare chest. Darwin put his arm around her, still chuckling.

"Oh relax. It's just the house settlin'. Happens when the wind blows."

"You bastard." Red whispered, but there was no bite to her tone, and she didn't try to pull away. Nor did Darwin. After a few moments, Red rolled onto her side and pressed fully against him. He shifted a little to make more room for her. It was strange, how well they fit together. She wasn't afraid. He smelled good, felt good, and it had been ages since the last time she'd cuddled with someone.

"Can I ask you a question?" she whispered.

"Sure thing."

"If you didn't want me, why did you kiss me?"

"Hell, I never said I didn't want you. Just didn't want to press my advantage here. I ain't that kinda guy."

"Lester implied that you all kill for money."

"That don't make me a rapist."

"Just a murderer."

Darwin gave a little shrug.

"Call it what you want, it don't change a thing. Killin' some sumbitch who brought it on himself by pissin' off the wrong people is a far goddamn cry from extortin' cold passionless sex from an abused woman who's takin' refuge under my roof. You can call me a redneck, a bastard, a murderer and a maniac…but you ain't never gonna be able to call me a rapist. End of fuckin' story."

Red was silent after this little speech, thinking. Then she reached for his hand. Found it. Held it.

"Protect me?" she whispered, so low that it was barely audible. Darwin squeezed her hand.

"Alright then."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The morning sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating the shimmering dust motes above the bed. Darwin was sound asleep on his stomach, sheets pulled down to his waist, messy dark gold hair spread across the pillow. Red woke up slowly and rolled over, looking at him for a few minutes. She'd actually fallen asleep beside a man. A strange man. A wild-looking man with the blood of countless people on his hands. And she wasn't afraid. Quite the opposite, in fact. Very gently, trying to avoid waking him, Red drew back the covers and slid out of bed. Her feet in their borrowed socks touched the carpet and she got up, folding the blanket back over Darwin's bare shoulders. Then she tiptoed to the door, eased it open, and moved into the hallway.

There were sounds coming from the kitchen. The gurgle of a coffee machine, the clink of pans, the tinny sound of a cheap radio playing country music.

Tentatively, Red made her way past Jeeves's door, past Lester and Tsugi's room, past the guest room, until she came at last to the sun-drenched kitchen where a single figure stood whisking eggs at the stove.  
It was Lester. He glanced at her, lowering his bald head to meet her eyes over the tops of his spectacles. An inexplicable feeling of comfort washed over her. As naturally as though she had been waking up in this house all her life, Red moved behind him and put her arms around his thick torso for a moment, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Good morning." She said softly. Lester grunted a greeting.

"You hungry? Grab a cup o' coffee, breakfast'll be up in about ten minutes."

Red eagerly reached for a dark blue ceramic mug on the counter next to the coffee pot. She poured a generous measure of the thick syrupy fluid and added four heaping tablespoons of sugar without even tasting it. The scent alone told her that this was the t-rex of caffeinated beverages.

"Is Tsugi up yet?"

Lester nodded, gesturing with a spatula toward the window.

"Feedin' the chickens an' the pigs, tossin' some hay down fer the horses an' Jeeves's milk heifer, Chip. She'll be in soon as she's done with the chores."

"You have a whole farm here!" Red exclaimed, delighted and impressed. Lester shrugged, seasoning the eggs.

"Got a vegetable garden out back an' a moonshine still up in the woods. Private water source, twelve solar panels, two 19th century windmills, and a hell of a lot o' land that extends 15 miles up the coast an' twelve down it, all the way inta the forest preserve about seven, eight miles inland." Lester gestured vaguely out the window with his spatula. There was pride in his voice. "We been collectin' land rights fer four generations. Completely off the grid except for payin' land tax. An' o'course we gotta pay taxes for the farm an' whatnot. We grow us a good crop o' vegetables every year, sell it in town. Also got an orchard. Tsugi makes real good apple butter. Rich folk love it, it's got country charm. Heh. We don't need the money, but we gotta make it look good."

Red was impressed by their self-sufficiency. It showed evidence of careful planning. This was clearly a family that knew how to look after itself. She took a sip of coffee and settled back in her chair, watching Lester move about the kitchen. It was hard to pinpoint exactly how she was feeling now. Killers. She was in a nest of killers, self-admitted.  
And one of them was making toast.

"Do you…I mean…okay, how long have you been a heartless murderer for hire? Professionally speaking, that is." Red stirred another sugar into her coffee. Christ Almighty, it was severe stuff. Lester glanced up from buttering a slice, blinking at her over his glasses.

"Kinda bristle at the word 'heartless', darlin'. It ain't wise ta make me bristle this early in the mornin'." He added the slice to a growing stack beside him. "Hell, I guess I been in this business close ta 20 years. Killed my first fella at the age o' 14, under Daddy's guidin' hand. Can't say I much enjoy it. Darwin's been doin' this about 5 years longer'n me. Jeevesie's been at it maybe 16 years at the most. We do what we gotta. I take care o' the family as best I can, but when the situation calls for it…like it did a couple weeks ago when you an' me met…I sure as hell know how ta get shit done. Ain't no such thing as a useless Tremor."

"What's it like? Killing, I mean." For some reason, Red was fascinated by the macabre thought of taking a life. There was silence in the kitchen for a little while, broken only by the dry rasp of a knife scraping butter onto bread.

"It's a sense o' power. You become god, in a way. Holdin' the life of another in yer hands an' makin' the decision whether ta let that life slip away or not." He paused, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "It ain't like it is in the movies. You know, with all the dramatic music playin' and a real clear-cut definition of who's the good guy an' who's the bad guy. Life don't color inside the lines all neat like that. It's complicated an' messy and fer some folks, it's brutal an' has a pretty goddamn unpleasant endin'."

The door to the outside opened, and Tsugi came in looking pink-cheeked and healthy and stunningly beautiful. She set a basket of freshly gathered eggs on the counter and leaned in close to her lover to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Dammit, woman! Yer lips are freezin'!" Lester chuckled, and turned to gather her into his thick arms for a hug. He gestured to the eggs.

"That all we got? Goddammit, we're gonna have ta increase the calcium intake on them pullets, get 'em layin' a little more. Jeevesie's got a hell of an appetite an' this ain't gonna tide him over real well. Make a note on my Honey Do list, baby. Thanks."

He leaned down and opened the oven door, pulling out a large pan of fat sausages still sizzling in their juices. He carried it to the table and set it down in the center on a pretty woven doily, his glasses fogged over from the steam. "Prepare fer the arrival of a real big, hungry bear any second now. Heh."

* * *

As if by magic, Jeeves lumbered down the hall and into the kitchen with Bandit in his arms. They both looked relaxed, happy and sleepy.

"Mornin'!" Jeeves beamed, and took a seat at the table. He gently set the cat on the floor. Red smiled at him, and he grinned back with the sweet early morning glow of a child.

"Hi Red. Did yew have a nice sleep?"

"I did. I don't think I've slept that soundly in a very long time. How about you and Bandit?"

"He was purrin' in his sleep." Jeeves said, looking fondly at the cat. Lester bent down and filled a bowl with food, then another with fresh well water. Bandit sauntered over to investigate.

"He must have been very happy then. Thank you for being so good to him." Red leaned across the table and lightly patted the back of his hand. Lester came over just then with the pan of scrambled eggs and tipped a large portion onto his brother's plate, along with some toast and fresh fruit, a few slabs of cheese, potatoes and two pastries. No meat, of course. Jeeves's vegetarianism was an amusing quirk considering his line of work, but Red found it sweet.

Lester set another, smaller plate before Red, and she looked up at him with humble gratitude in her eyes. She had nothing to offer these people, nothing except headaches and annoyance. But here they were, feeding her and giving her warmth and shelter, taking care of her beloved cat and providing her with protection and medical care.

"Thank you, Lester."

"Hell, it ain't a problem. Eat up, yer gonna need yer strength today. We'll be takin' a look at that cottage o' yers in a couple hours ta see what needs ta be done to it. We got winter roarin' down on us at a high rate o' speed an' that little shack you got swindled inta buyin' ain't exactly weather-tight. Bottom line is, we got a ton o' work ta do. But we'll move at yer pace, seein' as how you got that busted leg."

"I'll pay you as soon as I can. And I'll pay back the money you gave me, too. I don't ever want to be a burden."

"Shit, ya already are. But I don't mind none."

Tsugi gracefully took a seat beside Jeeves and reached over to tuck the big man's napkin into the front of his pajamas. Red couldn't help but eye her with a little envy. She looked fresh and keenly stylish in faded denim work jeans, furred boots and a form-fitting cream fisherman's sweater. Her thick dark hair hung to the middle of her back in a shining braid. A little self-consciously, Red patted down her own messy curls. How Tsugi stayed so lovely and fashion-model perfect this far out in the middle of nowhere, living in a house with three men, was something of a mystery.

Tsugi moved to stand behind Jeeves, rubbing the big man's shoulders.

"Chip isn't quite ready to be milked, her bag's only half full. There were wolf tracks near the horse enclosure. It doesn't look like they tried to get in though. And I did check on the ladies, all your chickens are accounted for and seem quite content." She leaned down and kissed Jeeves's temple. "Good morning, honey. Did you sleep ok? No bad dreams?"

Jeeves rumbled happily, his mouth full of toast and cheese, nodding. Tsugi came to Red next, bending down to press a kiss to her forehead in a maternal gesture.

Her lips were cool against Red's skin, her perfume a sweet whisper of cherry blossoms.

* * *

Darwin prowled into the kitchen then, wearing a pair of jeans that looked as though they'd seen better days. He was bare chested. That would take some getting used to, the casual half-nudity that the gentlemen embraced here. Tsugi obediently went to him.

"Good morning, Darwin." She said, and kissed his cheek. Red felt a twinge in her chest and wondered at it. Uncertainly, she got to her feet as well and approached him. She stood before him in the cozy kitchen and awkwardly shifted from foot to foot, watching him embrace Tsugi with one arm. He kissed her sleek head, blue eyes locked with Red's green ones, and when Tsugi stepped aside to help Lester prepare the rest of the plates they were left facing one another.

Red felt fat and messy and greasy and ugly after seeing Tsugi. Her eyes dropped to stare at the floor, and she self-consciously backed up a few inches.

"Good morning, sir. I….there's, um, fresh toast." She said lamely. There was silence. She could feel the others watching this little exchange, and her face burned. She wished she hadn't even gotten up. Her chair seemed a mile away, but she started to slink back to it anyway.

Darwin's hand on her shoulder made her pause. He didn't pull her against him and kiss her hair the way he had with Tsugi. Instead, he moved forward and took her entire shivering, chubby, sleepy, messy-haired, uncertain self into his arms and held her. She could feel his husky voice rising from his warm chest.

"Call me Darwin. Good mornin', Red. I'd sure love some of that toast."

"Claimed." Lester whispered. But Red didn't hear a thing. Only Darwin, breathing.

* * *

After breakfast, Lester bundled up, kissed his fiancé goodbye, and helped Red into one of his own lambskin jackets.

"You kin leave the cat here, Jeeves'll look after him real well while you an' me see ta yer place." He tucked his work gloves into his back pocket and nodded toward the door. Red tugged her borrowed belt tighter and zipped up the jacket. Together, they headed out.

Lester waited until they were out of sight of the house, and then he stopped.

"Time ta talk."

Red had been a few paces ahead of him, but the tone in his voice made her stop. She turned around.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Lester shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture that Red was coming to understand as a sign of agitation. He fixed her with his pale blue eyes.

"How're you likin' it here, Red?"

"I like it fine. You all have been kind to me and to my cat. I feel pretty safe here, just wish my sister were with me too."

"We'll get ta that. We got ways 'o findin' people. I'm askin' about you now. Ya only just met Darwin an' Jeeves. You got an honest opinion about 'em? Talk plain. What you say ta me right now is private an' it's gonna stay private."

They were by themselves here in the woods. The birds sat in the trees high above them and chirped spiritedly to one another. There was a fresh, exhilarating scent of pine needles and ocean air. A breeze lifted her curls and brought a pink flush to her cheeks.

Red looked Lester over, and it occurred to her that she really did trust this man. It had been a long time since she'd trusted anyone. But now she suddenly found herself not only trusting Lester, but Tsugi and Darwin and Jeeves as well.

"I'm a little nervous about some of the rules and about all the secrecy. And about something that Tsugi said, about what she had to 'go through to stay here'. It felt like she meant way more than just having to deal with your line of work and all that. But on the whole, yes. I like Jeeves a great deal, he reminds me of my little sister and he seems sweet and childlike for now. I love how much he's fallen for Bandit. And I really love the way you all treat him and dote on him. Darwin makes me nervous but I think that will fade in time. He's forceful and stern, not in the same way you are. You bark a lot but in the few weeks we've known one another you've never bitten, as the saying goes. And Tsugi is about the best friend I've ever had. She saved my life, in more ways than one. I'd like to stay. I hope I didn't screw things up last night. I did something a little foolish, I think."

Lester nodded, but didn't prod her on the details of her midnight foray. He leaned back against the tree and took his work gloves out of his back pocket, pulling them on and covering his tattooed hands.

"Do ya trust me?"

Red looked him right in the eye.

"Yes. Completely." She replied quietly.

"I think Dar's got a little thing for ya. Hell, maybe a big thing. He could just be feelin' a little lonely. Just broke up with a longtime girlfriend by the name o' Tanya a couple months ago. Jeeves an' me didn't like her one bit, an' she was always real nasty ta Tsugi. I think she just liked bein' the girlfriend of a bad boy. But Darwin, he was real good to that woman right up until the evidence of her numerous affairs became more than even he could ignore. I don't know what's goin' on in his head or his heart right at the moment. But he seems ta be fond o' you. Do you like him?"

Old Spice. Bedroom eyes. The soft husky voice and the warmth of his body under the covers, the scratch of his stubble against her throat when he'd bent to kiss her in the dark. Red ducked her head slightly and studied the moss growing against the base of the tree behind Lester.

"Very much."

"Enough to embrace this lifestyle? Become part o' the family? Be there for each an' every one of us when we come back wounded an' bloody an' exhausted from a job? You gonna be alright with helpin' Jeeves take off forty pounds o' blood-soaked body armor. Knowin' that he just murdered a lotta people and you are now complicit in the eyes o' the law? Could ya keep yer trap shut if you ever got picked up an' questioned by the cops, no matter what lies or tactics they used to rattle ya? You think you got the ability to submit ta Darwin's rule, get along smooth as glass with Tsugi, conduct yerself in an honorable an' obedient manner with every member o' this family. We thrive on secrecy, as ya already noticed. It is imperative that we all get along. For a woman interested in a mighty serious long-term relationship with any o' the brothers, there's a hell of a livin' situation that's gotta be agreed to. Folks who make a significant amount o' trouble in this family end up buried deep under the green grass o' the back forty. I do not plan on repeatin' myself here. I'm offerin' you a chance ta walk away right now, Red, if you can't agree ta all o' this. I will personally bundle up you an' your cat, drive ya to the nearest bus depot, hand you a couple thousand bucks an' a ticket ta some tiny town in the middle o' nowhere and you kin start over. But if you wanna stay, you gotta be amenable to the environment here. I know this is all new to ya, but we ain't got the luxury of time with how fast Darwin is movin'. I saw how he treated you in the kitchen this mornin'. It's gonna have to be a snap decision, Red. Now what's it gonna be?"

There was a long silence, and Red clenched and unclenched her hands a few times. She took a deep breath and let it out in a little cloud of steam. Fear uncoiled its cold body in the pit of her stomach. She shifted from foot to foot.

"My sister?"

"She'll be found an' brought here too."

"Promise?"

"Hell yes. Gonna go after her myself, I'd imagine."

"Can I ask one more question before answering?"

"Best ta ask it now."

"Tsugi and her talk of what she had to go through. You and your comment about the living situation. The way she kisses and loves on Darwin and Jeeves and you don't bat an eye. There's something fishy going on here. You all seem to be extremely relaxed when it comes to closeness with one another, and I get the feeling that there's more going on than is any of my business. But if I'm going to be thrust into the middle of it, I'd like to know the truth. Please don't get mad at me or hit me for saying this, alright?" She eyed him warily.

"I ain't never raised my hand to a woman and I'm not gonna start now."

"Ok. Ok, it's only a question. You can tell me to screw off if I'm wrong. But is there a little something going on between Tsugi and Darwin too? Or between Tsugi and Jeeves? And is that…you know…sanctioned?"

Lester folded his arms and looked down at her, idly working his tongue over his teeth for a moment. He seemed to be considering whether to open the subject this far.

Finally he cleared his throat.

"Yes. Darwin and Jeeves are my fiance's lovers too. The Tremor brothers let nothin' come between their bond, relyin' as we do upon it to survive both in the field an' at home. We don't even let the love of a woman come between us. In that spirit, we've come to agree on somethin' called the Blood Oath. A woman who wants ta give her life an' heart to one of us has gotta accept all of us, or no deal. It ain't some kinda orgy. We're not animals or perverts. Tsugi don't play musical beds every week. But once in a while, if the mood's just right an' there's private time…yes. Now this situation don't occur often. I never had the desire to lay so much as a finger on Tanya, although she tried ta kiss me one night out back behind the barn. She was drunk an' horny an' lookin' for action even though Darwin was right up at the house by himself. That woman disgusts me on every level. I pushed her away an' told her in no uncertain terms that if she ever came near me again I would goddamn well spay her with a pair o' hedge clippers. My patience has a limit."

Despite the tenseness of the moment, Red snickered a little. Lester fought back a smile.

"Anyhow, that answer yer question?"

"Would…would I…" She looked at the moss again. Dead silence, and for the hundredth time Red wished she hadn't spoken. "Sorry. I just, I don't think I want to even think about being with anyone at all intimately for a while. Not even Darwin. Not anyone. Not that I'm even really his type. Or yours. Well I know I'm not yours. I probably disgust you more than Tanya."

More silence, but when she looked up Lester was watching her with a softened expression. Still stern and gruff, but softer than a moment before. His voice was gentle when he spoke.

"Don't bet on it, kiddo."

They began walking again, side by side through the crunching leaves, and Red continued delving for more information.

"So you're really ok with Tsugi being that close to your brothers? This is just mystifying to me."

"Yeah. She worships the ground I walk on, an' the feelin' is real mutual. See, about a year ago Tsugi dragged my ass out of a burnin' buildin'. She saved my life. I was all shot ta shit an' dyin'. Rescuin' a member of a rival group was kinda frowned upon, an' she was with an offshoot o' the Yakuza. They ain't exactly lightweights. She had ta disappear, and I didn't wanna lose her anyhow. So I gladly extended the offer ta house an' shield her here for the rest o' her life, if she was willin'. We fell deeper in love every day, o'course. I proposed ta her formally about six months ago. She knew about the Blood Oath already, I told her three weeks inta our relationship. I explained real well that it ain't enforced like some kinda organized rape. We ain't like that. It's gotta happen organically, an' it needs ta be mutual. Dar didn't corner her or nothin', neither did Jeeves."

They drew near to the cottage together. It didn't look too bad from the outside, bathed as it was in yellow morning sunlight. Red opened the front door and went inside, Lester behind her. He continued speaking as he looked around the kitchen with a speculative gaze.

"She was with Dar first when I left fer a little job in Sacramento. I asked Jeevesie ta go with me. The boy sure does love the zoo there. Darwin was recoverin' from a stab wound an' couldn't travel real comfortable-like, so I left Tsugi there ta look after him while we were away. She didn't mind none. This was a couple months ago, back in mid-spring. The precise details o' what went on, I don't know an' I didn't ask. Details ain't important. But when we came home, I knew."

He slipped off his coat and tossed it over a chair, rolling up the sleeves on his flannel lumberjack shirt. Red felt faint, jealous and a little sick. A sudden image of Darwin and Tsugi together came to her mind, and she tried everything in her power to force the thought away.

"Oh," she said faintly, "I see."

Lester opened his toolbox.

"I'm sure ya do," he said gruffly, "I know I did fer a long time. But the feelin' passed. After that she had an experience with Jeeves. Again, it arose organically. But he was mighty shy around her despite bein' real eager for companionship. It took a pretty bad incident ta bring 'em together."

He fell silent for a few minutes, lining up his tools on the counter. He unscrewed the top of a flashlight and plunked in two fresh batteries, then snapped it on and got on his knees by the kitchen sink to check the pipes. Red knelt down beside him as he grumbled and rolled onto his back for a closer look.

"What happened?"

"Looks like one o' the pipes burst at some point, then got taped up real sloppy-like by someone who didn't have a goddamn clue as ta what they were doin'."

"No, no…I mean with Jeeves and Tsugi."

Lester prodded a joint, then grunted in irritation as dirty water sprayed into his face.

"Night terrors. Just a couple weeks ago. They started up on account of a job we did. Broke up a kiddy porn ring an' killed the head honcho real messy. He'd taken the niece of a pretty high level politician, ya see. This fella didn't want his revenge done all clean like the Feds would have. That's about the time they come lookin' fer us. We got in there alright, an' found a shitload more'n we bargained for. A storage trailer full of stolen kids. Not all of 'em were alive. The heat, ya understand. Jeeves, he was the one to find 'em. He kinda took it hard."

Red had no trouble at all imagining the big man who was so completely in love with animals being just as enamored with children.

"God, I can't even imagine. Just hearing this is going to give me nightmares. Did you save them? The kids?"

"Save 'em? Shit, that wasn't our job. We unlocked the trailer an' let 'em out though. Tossed one o' the older kids the boss's cell phone an' let her know that the people who'd been hurtin' 'em were gonna be dead real soon. But that was all."

"That sounds like saving them."

"Whatever. Anyhow, Jeeves woke up screamin' fer three nights after that job was all over. I'd go runnin' in there, turn on the light an' get him all settled. That was my job when we was kids. Practically raised the big ol' sumbitch. He drives me motherfuckin' insane half the time, but he's a good boy."

Beneath his grumpy tone, Red could detect a deep fondness for his brother. She handed him a rag as he sat up, and he nodded his thanks and took off his glasses to clean them.

"So on the fourth night, he woke up again. I was all set ta run in there, but Tsugi put her fingertips on my chest an' shook her head. Then she slipped outta bed an' kissed my forehead in that way she does, put on her dressin' gown and tiptoed down the hall like a night nurse. I heard Jeevesie stop cryin' in his room, an' she stayed there with him all night. The next night too, an' he didn't wake up screamin'. It was a week before he could sleep by himself again. But he's alright now. She got him soothed an' settled in the way only a woman can."

Red thought about the livid bite mark on Tsugi's shoulder.

"Did he bite her then?"

Lester nodded and put his glasses on again.

"Durin' a nightmare. She didn't cry out fer me or Darwin though. Said she wasn't about ta let us holler at him while he was hurtin' and all. Hell, like we wouldn't find out. Darwin told Jeeves off fer bitin' his friend and caretaker. Jeeves got a little sniffly an' hung his head, an' Tsugi got up off the table I had her sittin' on an' put her arms around Jeeves, looked Darwin right in the eye, an' said 'Leave him alone.' Well, you kin imagine how that ended. No one talks back to Darwin 'cept me for some reason. An' I don't do it real often. It was a rough night. After a couple hours when everyone simmered down, Tsugi an' me sat on the front porch drinkin' sake an' watchin' the moon rise. I asked her about makin' love to Darwin an' Jeeves. I knew I had ta hear it just ta settle myself, 'cause she'd stuck her neck out fer Jeevesie an' it had been real outta character. She went quiet fer a little, then told me about both experiences. With Darwin it was unexpected an' violent, out o' the blue after a buildup of tension. They didn't cuddle or nothin'. Just kinda raw an' passionate like a pile o' dynamite goin' off. Christ, that made me wanna drink somethin' stronger than sake, lemme tell you. But I stayed quiet, waiter fer the rest. She told me that with Jeeves, she initiated it an' guided him through the whole thing like leadin' a blind man through a maze. He was all clumsy and shakin', sweaty from the nightmare."

He looked down at the wrench in his hands, turning it over a few times. "His momma abused him real bad, ya see. She ain't my mother. Somehow a rumor got around that we all got one momma and a ton o' daddies. That's horse shit, they got it flipped. We got us one real prolific papa and a ton o' different women who bore him kids. Darwin's was a small town gal, crazy smart. Mine was a showgirl from Reno. Never met her, but I hear she was a real looker. Jeevesie had himself a goddamn abusive alcoholic who made his childhood hell until he ran off ta come find his papa an' me again. They'd bounced him between houses on an' off. At the age of about thirteen, he snapped an' flat-out killed her. When Daddy found out what he done, he just chuckled an' said, 'There's hope for you yet, boy'. But Daddy was a shitheel too. I raised Jeeves up, by God. But I sure didn't heal him up half as good as Tsugi did. Even though I had thirty some years an' she had five days. Heh." He punctuated this, his longest speech ever in her presence, with a little chuckle.

Red was fascinated not only by the incredible tale he presented, but also by his slow, measured country boy drawl and his low voice. Not as deep as Jeeves's, nor as slow. And not as sensually husky as Darwin's. Lester's voice was a quiet growl, at times a bark. Coupled with his comparatively shorter stature and his muscular build and general demeanor, he reminded her strongly of a badger.

"I've never even heard of a family like yours."

"We're pretty unique."

"And you think someone like me would really appeal to Darwin?"

"It's a mystery ta me, too."

"Why are you such an ass to me?"

"Because yer such an ever-lovin' pain in mine. But I ain't opposed to ya, per se. So again we return to the question. Do ya think you could handle bein' Darwin's woman if he wanted ya?"

Red felt warmth in her chest, a sensation of safety and peace and salvation and even a touch of desire and love. Suddenly she realized that she didn't want anything in the world half as much as she wanted this. The agony of the past few years melted away, and she smiled and reached out to hug Lester the Badger as hard as she could.

"Yes. If he wants me, then I'll accept. I love this family."

"Great. Fine." Lester patted her back, then pushed her away and lay down under the sink again. "Hope ya don't mind endin' up shot then."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen 

The ice returned to Red's chest at his words.

"What? Why would I be shot?! Does he have a lot of crazy women on the side like your father did or something?"

"Just Tanya, really. Willin' ta bet she'll come for ya like a hellcat if she runs into ya in town. But you'll have more ta worry about from the Feds. And from rival assassins, o'course. Also the families of his victims. It's a lot ta consider. But keep in mind, I'm only havin' this talk with you at all because I see somethin' startin' ta build an' I figured I'd address it early on. Now enough o' this theoretical bullshit. Hand me them gloves an' that water pail by the door. I'm about ta fix yer goddamn sink. While I do this, Imma need you ta take a wander through your house, tell me what ya think needs fixin' and what you'd like ta se in here."

Red got to her feet to grab the requested items.

"A second bed, for Glory when you find her. A little book shelf maybe. Some books, whatever you can spare. Wood for the fire and something soft for Bandit to sleep on in front of the fireplace. The roof leaks a little, and the windows leak even more. I'm always cold in here. I can't pay you for any of this. But I can work, like Darwin suggested. That's all. I really appreciate your help more than I can say."

Lester unsmilingly acknowledged the list, nodding.

"Write it all down. Imma work through the list a step at a time until we're there."

Red wandered through the house, shyly making note of the most severe problems. Water damage to the floors and walls in the bathroom, missing panes of glass over the kitchen sink clumsily covered in a taped garbage bag. A patch of daylight filtering into the living room from a hole in the ceiling. Lester nodded at every new issue, mentally calculating the materials he would need and the amounts of each.

"Alright, those are the most pressin' problems. Imma see ta them first thing. Now how about some o' the less vital issues? What's yer favorite color?"

Red was taken off guard by the question.

"Well, I like green very much. And blues too. Ocean colors. Forest colors. Why?"

"Paint an' carpet, also beddin' fer the bed. We gotta get rid o' that single bed, move in a double. Get ya another sofa, somethin' safe ta sit on. Shit like that. Imma let Tsugi work with ya on the interior design parts, just put in the grunt work when she tells me what y'all are gonna be needin'."

It was all a little surprising, this sudden generosity. Red lowered her head, quiet with gratitude.

"Thanks, Lester. What about the two-way radio that Darwin mentioned? He said I should always keep it on."

"It's a handheld unit ya clip to yer belt or leave on yer nightstand, plus a chargin' unit. You should set it up on the kitchen counter. Play yer cards right an' ya may get a cell phone someday. But not until we're sure we kin trust ya."

Red nodded slowly, thinking to herself that this sounded like some kind of cultish boot camp.

"Imma bring up the radio an' get it all squared away this evenin'."

"I'll make sure to keep an ear out for it, if it goes off. No matter where I am. You also said you had some sewing you wanted me to do. I...um..."

Lester turned to look at her, sighing.

"Lemme guess. Ya got no Earthly clue how ta use a sewin' machine."

Miserably, Red shook her head.

"I could maybe hand stitch a little." she offered. The stocky Tremor shrugged.

"Hell, it'll have ta do fer now. I'll teach ya how ta work a sewin' machine one o' these days, save ya a little time. But for now, hand stitchin' is just fine." He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms, fixing her with his stern blue gaze. "Despite what Darwin said, I got no intention o' lettin' him work ya to death. Anytime things get too rough for ya, you come tell me. Understand?"

This unexpected comment from a person whom she believed to hold her in a certain amount of contempt took Red completely by surprise. She stared at Lester for a moment, just standing there in the run-down kitchen with the sunlight behind him. Her brows knitted together in confusion. Then she took a step forward, and hesitated.

Lester inclined his head slightly in a nod.

Red needed no more invitation than this. She moved forward into his arms and rested her head on his shoulder, and he gave her a rough hug and patted her back. Red's voice was muffled by his shirt.

"It's been so damn long since the last time I felt this safe. You just have no idea how grateful I am and you don't even know me and I'm a total drain on your resources and a pain in your ass and I'm bringing nothing but trouble. I think I insulted Darwin last night when I went into his room. I thought...I don't know, I just assumed I would have to pay for this the way I'm used to anymore. But he didn't m-make me do anything. He just held me and he kissed me and said 'Go to sleep', and I did, and he felt so damn _good_ and he was so kind even though I know he's a criminal and so are you and so am I and I don't care and I just w-want to stay here forever and never leave and I d-don't care what I have to do and...and..." Red's eyes were clouded with tears, and she felt a little light-headed suddenly. "And you smell really good. And I trust you and I'm sorry I took your bed the first night I was here and I'm also sorry for being a fat citified soft useless thing..."

Her words were abruptly cut off as Lester grabbed her chin in his rough palm, tilted her tear stained face up to his, and kissed her forehead. Red froze, and her eyes closed.

After a moment he pulled back from her and stroked her cheek, waiting for her eyes to open and look into his. Red merely blinked, confusion and a strange tender bruise in her chest stripping away every other emotion she might be feeling.

Lester's voice was gruff.

"Shut the hell up about all o' that, goddammit. And about your numerous shortcomin's."

"But you said I was soft and useless and..."

"I know what I said." He gently pushed her away. "I lied. Now grab that tape measure an' help me get some figures for the corner yonder. There by the window."

"How come?"

"Imma cobble together a cat tree fer that hairy sumbitch ya brought along. But it ain't gonna be bolted down or nothin'. I got me a pretty good feelin' you ain't gonna be stayin' in this here cabin for too much longer." He moved past her, inspecting the wall by the window with his tattooed hands. "Think I should just kinda lean it in here, maybe brace it with just one or two wires inta the studs."

Red searched his tool box for a tape measure. She felt more fascinated by the family than ever.

"Why would you say that? Darwin told me I could stay here."

Lester slid his glasses out of his pocket and put them on, studying the wall.

"Well, I say that on account o' Dar is likely to invite ya on up to the house pretty frequently. An' eventually he's gonna probably offer you a room there. I saw you two in the kitchen this mornin'. And I saw the way he reacted ta you. He was real gentle, for him." He turned around slowly to look at her.

"Did you say ya went into his room to put the moves on him? Fer goddamn real?" He was grinning. Red felt her face get got.

"I just thought it was going to be expected of me, you know. To pay for my being here."

"Oh bullshit. You wanted him. Ha! Ain't that somethin'."

"That's not..."

"Somethin' musta set you off." He thought for a moment, bright eyes intent behind those glittering spectacles. Then realization dawned on his face.

"You heard Tsugi an' me. You heard us makin' love."

Red looked at the floor and said nothing.

"That's it, ain't it. Ya heard us through the wall an' it compelled you ta slip on outta your room an' seek out my brother. You wanted him, even if you ain't admittin' it. Even if you don't wanna allow yerself ta feel it. Red, when was the last time you were with a man, anyhow?"

She ducked her head and mumbled.

"About four months ago. In the back of a taxi cab."

"How romantic." Lester said sarcastically. "The boyfriend get arrested or shot or somethin'? Why ain't he still with ya? Did he go on back to his wife?"

The jabs hurt, and Red threw the tape measure to the floor and turned to whip open the door.

"No, you asshole! I didn't even know his name! I was starving and Bandit was too! So I sold myself to a guy for $50 so I could get us some food! Now I'm going for a walk, and I don't care if you shoot me in the back for it! I need some air. I'll just be down the beach. Just...just leave me alone." She snapped, and stormed out.

* * *

The path down to the water's edge was bordered by scrubby salt rose bushes and rocks. Red's sneakers sank into the soft sand, making it a little hard to walk. But she trudged on anyway, rubbing at her eyes to stop the angry tears.

Whore. Thief. Runaway. Falling for a killer but winding up in his brother's arms the moment the opportunity presented itself.

She could still feel Darwin's warm, lean body against hers if she shut her eyes and imagined it. Last night had been phenomenal, like a happy dream. And Lester had been tender with her, showing her a small flash of mercy and compassion and a tenderness that she hadn't seen in years. If what Les had said was true...then she would be enjoying a whole lot more than a hug and kiss pretty soon. From all of them. Semi-consensual as it may be, but how different was it from selling her body to strangers back in the awful dark days on the streets? Where was the line? Was there even a line anymore, or had she compromised herself so much that simple things like love and sex and morality no longer had any discernible meaning left to them? Selling yourself for food is only a few steps, philosophically speaking, from selling yourself for kindness. Warmth. Safety.

Saddened, she lowered herself onto a rock and wrapped her arms around her knees, looking out at the water. Letting the salt spray tingle her face and sting away the tears in her eyes. The sight of all that vast, open water stretching out forever to the horizon made her feel calm and free. Relaxed. She leaned down and untied her sneakers, then pulled off her shirt. It was freezing. But Red didn't care. That gray, choppy water was too beautiful to resist, and she wanted to feel it on her skin. She unzipped the jeans she was wearing, Darwin's jeans, and dropped them onto the sand. In her bra and panties, tattered and rather stained from overuse, she felt vulnerable and exposed and fat and ugly. Never mind that though, no one could see her here.

The walk to the waterline more than strengthened her resolve. She stepped into the sea and waded out to her hips, her skin going numb almost instantly. Seaweed sluggishly crept around her legs and the waves surged up and around her body, making her gasp. But still she waded out, walking on the sandy bottom until the water lifted her up with every step right to her tiptoes. It was unbearably cold.

"I really hope you ain't plannin' on drownin' yourself, Red." She heard a voice call from the shore. Startled, she turned to see Darwin standing just beyond the reach of the waves. Dammit. Lester must have called him after the scene in the kitchen. Red was about to shout back that she was well and good and didn't need a babysitter, thank you very much, when a swell caught her in the act of turning and knocked her off her feet. When she tried to get up again, she was alarmed to find that her feet didn't touch the bottom anymore. Another swell of water, not quite a wave, spilled over her head. She swallowed seawater, her eyes opening in the stinging gray light beneath the surface, and she beheld a vast darkness to her left. The deeper water. Cold, horrible and hungry, and the inexorable undertow was tugging her firmly toward it. Terror leaked all throughout her system, and she didn't even know which way was up anymore.

Her head broke the surface of the water and she gulped air in desperation, flailing against the power of the water. She was driven under again, kicking her legs and getting nowhere.

A hand gripped her hair, yanking her violently back, and another hand closed about her flailing wrist. Her head was pulled above the surface of the water and she coughed, taking in deep grateful gulps of oxygen. Darwin was swimming strong beside her, hauling her with ease toward the shore. Red wanted to fight him. She was humiliated that she needed rescuing a second time, but she was too worn out to protest. She went limp and let the country boy tow her to the shallows, to where she could stand up. Together they slogged through the chilly waves to the beach. Red fell to her knees and threw up a few mouthfuls of saltwater on the sand, along with some undigested breakfast. Darwin knelt beside her and pulled her hair back from her face as she was sick. He didn't say a word, and when Red was finally able to look up at him his blue eyes held no mocking or triumph. They just looked at one another for a few minutes in silence. Then Darwin helped her to her feet and wrapped his shirt around her red, abraded shoulders. He picked up her clothing from the shore and guided her toward the cottage once more, away from the water.

Lester wasn't there anymore when they pushed open the door and stepped inside together, but there was a fire going in the hearth and the room was wonderfully warm. Darwin closed the door and helped Red to the couch, where she collapsed into a wet, shivering heap. He pulled a folded blanket off the sofa and wrapped it around her, rubbing her arms. Then he slowly sat down beside her and pulled her against him. Only then did he finally speak.

"You have got to be the most accident-prone goddamn human bein' on the face of the planet, Red."

"And the luckiest. I'm not dead yet, after all." She retorted wearily. She felt him chuckle, and he hugged her closer.

"I can relate to that."

He turned slightly to look at her, and when he touched her cheek she didn't pull away.

"You got nice eyes. Kinda moss colored and real expressive."

Red had heard many compliments in her life, most of them more poetic or smooth than this one. But for some reason, none of them had shot right to the middle of her heart like Darwin's simple statement. Her chest burned, and it had nothing to do with the raw sting of lingering saltwater in her throat.

"What are they expressing right now, Darwin?"

He blinked, his devil-blue gaze unraveling her completely.

"They're sayin', 'Don't hurt me'. They're sayin', 'I'm lonely.' And they're sayin', 'I want you.'"

Red swallowed, hard.

"I...I think that's pretty accurate, sir." Her voice was faint. Darwin's eyes flicked to her lips, and he gently rubbed his calloused thumb across them.

"I ain't gonna hurt you, Red. You are a pain in the ass and a test of my patience and that of my family's. But I'm not gonna hurt you." He said after a moment, and she could feel his breath against her face.

"Darwin..." She whispered. Her eyes started to fill with tears again. He reached up with his other hand and wiped them away.

"There ain't no need for cryin'. I'm not a knight in shinin' armor and you barely know me. I don't know you either, but I'm a real quick study. You're gonna have to trust me."

"Darwin, Lester and I had a talk. And he kissed me. In the kitchen here. Not like…not a sexual kiss. Just…nice. And he told me about the Blood Oath. And he said you might, that you might want me. Or something." She blurted it all out very fast, a blush rising to her cheeks. Darwin's eyebrow rose, but it was the only indication of emotion.

"Lester? He ain't given to kissin' anyone except Tsugi and occasionally Jeevesie's wounds after he puts a Bandaid on 'em. Wonder what prompted that."

"I think it was my emotional outburst."

"Ha! Yeah, could have been. Odd, that he mentioned the Oath to you before talkin' with me about it."

Red had nothing to say to this, so she simply looked away and chewed on her lower lip. Darwin let the quiet moment slide by for a little while. Then he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and sighed.

"So he told you about the Oath. What'd you think of it?"

"That it sounded creepy and barbaric."

"Fair enough, but it's in place for a good reason. This family has got to stay strong. Nothin' rips apart three men like a woman insertin' herself between them. What you see as creepy and barbaric is our method of combatin' those forces which could conceivably put a strain on us all. An' it ain't like we force anyone into it."

"He told me about...about Tanya."

At this, Darwin leaned back and stared at her. Anger crossed his features, and he abruptly stood up.

"You need dry clothes. Better run change now, Red. I'll make up a pot of coffee or somethin', put some more wood on the fire."

"What did I..."

"I said go change. Don't make me ask you a third time."

Her heart in her mouth and a strange feeling of sorrow dampening her far more than the saltwater, she obeyed him.

She dried her hair and body, put on fresh deodorant and touched up her makeup a little, and swapped her wet clothing for a pair of his soft flannel pants, warm socks and a long t-shirt. By the time she re-emerged from the bedroom, Darwin had the battered old kettle heating on the stove and two mugs set out, a jar of instant coffee and a box of sugar beside it. He was kneeling by the fire, dark golden hair illuminated by the dancing flames. Through the window to the left of the hearth, ominous clouds were rolling in low across the landscape.

"Good God, does it ever stop raining here?"

Darwin glanced back at her over his shoulder.

"It's just the autumn weather. We get a real wet season in spring too. Anytime the temperature shifts, there's a storm. Pretty soon you'll be missing the days of just rain, when the snow starts in. There are times when we're all but immobilized all the way out here past the city. Lucky thing we don't need them for much."

"I heard about all your methods of self-sufficiency. It sounds like you've thought of everything. But then, I guess in your line of work the less time you spend around others the better." Red moved to pick up the steaming kettle and make them both a cup of strong coffee. Then she came and knelt by Darwin, handing him one of the chipped ceramic mugs. He took it and sat back on his heels, taking a sip. Red looked into the flames and waited for him to speak, uncertain and shy.

"I don't like talkin' about Tanya." He finally said, "Don't bring her up again."

"I'm sorry. She must have hurt you pretty badly."

"You have no idea. And I ain't the kind of man who talks about shit like that. Anyhow, she don't got a damn thing to do with us." He turned to face her, and she lifted her gaze to meet his intense blue stare. "Red, you're kind of a fascinatin' mixture of plucky tough girl and total idiot. I find that a little endearin'. You're pretty. I like all that red hair of yours. And there's somethin' in your face that makes me want to pull you right up against me and hold you there. I guess you could call all that attraction. When you came into my room the other night, I thought it was because you felt it too. Not to pay for shelter or anythin' like that, but because I'm a man and you're a woman and sometimes you just gotta let nature take its course. I responded because I wanted to respond."

"I feel so bad about that..."

"I ain't done."

"Sorry."

Darwin sighed and set his coffee aside. His hand was rough and calloused against her wrist as he took her left hand and looked down at it, running his thumb over her ring finger.

"Were you engaged or were you married. A gal don't get an indention like this on her finger unless she wore a ring for a long time."

Now it was Red's turn to look angry. She tried to yank her hand back, but the Tremor leader held it firmly. His deadly eyes flicked up to look at her, but he didn't lift his head. It was the most menacing sight she'd seen in her life, that glare. And she'd seen a hell of a lot.

Some of the fire went out of her.

"Engaged."

"And it ended why."

"Because I ran away, sir."

"What prompted that?"

"He beat me. He hit my cat. He threatened to kill me if I ran, and he had the wherewithal to do it. His name was Ahmed, and he's a monster. He's also the first born son of a very wealthy Egyptian family, and that family has a lot of influence in the States. Political influence, and ties to a Black Market shipping ring. His family is probably helping him track me down. And who can help me? No one. My parents and I haven't spoken in years, they're in Germany. They emigrated about seven years ago. My little sister Glorianna...Glory...was about the only person that his family could hurt in an effort to drive me back to him. So I put her on a bus and sent her to friends of friends of friends. I lost her. I needed to lose her. For her own good, you understand? Her mind isn't... I mean, she has a form of high functioning Autism. And maybe more. I don't know. There is no way I could let her fall into their clutches. So I sent her off, and I grabbed my cat and fled the house one morning after Ahmed left for work. A neighbor who knew about the beatings because he heard us fight through the wall gave me some money, and I bolted as far as I could with it. But money has a tendency to run out, which it did. With no one to rely on and nowhere to turn, I just kind of fell back on my own devices. And that's where I am now."

Darwin listened to every word intently, the whole awful story pouring out of her like pus from a wound. Red was surprised to find that she could speak normally while she looked into those eyes. She wasn't sobbing, wasn't shaking or stuttering the way she normally did if she spoke of difficult subjects. Something about his steadiness and strength lent itself to her. She took a deep breath. Let it out in a sigh. And he released her hand and rubbed her shoulder.

"Let them come find you then. Do I look like the kinda man who worries about organized crime or rich spoiled foreign boys or any of the crap you just mentioned? Last month I put a bullet through the brain of a CIA agent who was cheatin' a business partner of his. You think that gave me the slightest pause? Hell no. Think I'm losin' sleep over whether or not the CIA is huntin' for me now? Not a wink. Red, you worry too damn much. Relax. You are safe here. Worst thing you're gonna have to deal with is me." He winked, and Red relaxed. Strange, that she should feel comforted by this man right after he'd confessed to a capital crime.

"I don't mind dealing with you." She said it too quickly, and Darwin smirked.

"You say that now. I ain't always so warm and friendly."

"You were pretty calm when I pointed that remote at you in the living room."

"Shit, I knew it wasn't loaded."

Red found herself completely and totally amused all of the sudden. Darwin's nonchalance in the face of certain death, the way his wet hair fell into his shocking blue eyes, his husky laugh and the easy way he reclined there beside her, it was all just too much.

"You have got to be the strangest human being I've ever met in my life."

"Reckon I am. Not the worst thing I've ever heard." He studied her face for a moment, then got to his feet. "I should head on back up to the house. I was in the middle of somethin' when Les got me on the radio, said you'd walked down to the sea in a bit of a mood."

"One way of putting it." Red didn't want to elaborate, she wasn't sure how much he knew. And she certainly didn't want to mention it. That would be giving away a hell of a lot more than she really wanted to.

"Alright, I'll be seein' you soon."

"Wait," Red said, her voice pleading. Darwin paused.

"Yeah?"

"My little sister. Darwin, the sooner we get her here, the better. Please. Here." She fumbled for a stub of carpenter's pencil and the back of an old receipt laying nearby on the table, detritus from Lester's toolbox. Quickly, she scribbled down a list of names, locations, a description of her sister, the clothes she was wearing and the location of a little birth mark on the back of her thigh.

"Here,. Glorianna Rachel Blumenkrantz. Then Krause. That's my last name too. I sent her toward a cousin in Nantucket, who was supposed to send her elsewhere. No one knew where the next stop would be. Just keep her moving, I said. And they did."

Darwin took the receipt and folded it and put it in his pocket.

"Alright then." He said quietly, and turned again to go. Before he left, he paused with his hand on the rusty old doorknob.

"Don't wander off again. Not without one of us with you. I catch you tryin' to escape or dodge us and you and me are gonna have ourselves a mighty serious conversation. The kind that'll leave you unable to sit for a week."

It took 30 seconds for his words to sink in fully.

"What?"

"You heard me. Supper's at six, I'll be expectin' you there. Afterwards, the floors and toilets upstairs need scrubbin'. We got a four story house plus an attic, and we only live in the bottom level. Ain't been cleaned up there real good for a couple months.

"You…want me to start tonight?"

"Good a time as any."

Darwin opened the door.

"Might wanna wear somethin' comfortable. I need to run some errands in town, got a couple things I need to pick up. I'll see you at six."

Red sat still for a few moments after he left, then moved to the window and slid back the curtain to watch him walk away. Slow. Relaxed. More of a prowl than a walk, looking up at the sky from time to time to admire the clouds. His dark golden hair gleamed in the sun like summer wheat. It was hard to put a finger on what she was feeling. But there was something there, lingering in her chest and not letting her be still.

After he vanished over the crest of the hill, she finally moved. And with a sigh, walked down the shabby hallway to her bathroom to freshen up for her night of slave labor.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

All day, Red tidied up around the cottage and worked in the garden. She put away canned food and scrubbed the rust out of the stove, washed the windows with vinegar and water until they sparkled, and took a broom to every inch of the floor inside. Bags of trash began to pile up, and she moved everything into the back of the garage and squeezed her car inside. The moment the door was down and her car hidden she felt better. Safer.

Around about noon, Bandit came strolling down the hill by himself, looking well rested and happy. She was annoyed with Jeeves for a moment for letting him out. But in a place like this, far from civilization and people who might want to harm the black and white feline, she reasoned that the very worst thing that might happen was that he could get disoriented. And that had never happened with Bandit. He was a sharp cat, who knew well how to climb trees to avoid larger animals and flee on foot faster than a puma. When she saw that he was now sporting a jaunty red collar and a little wooden tag with "BANDEET" scrawled on it in permanent marker, she was even more relaxed. Actually amused and touched.

"Looks like the most terrifying neighbors on the planet are turning out to be a dream come true in most ways. You're certainly looking well fed and pleased with yourself. Come on in, get a snack. Then it's back up to the house with both of us. I have work to do tonight and I'm not leaving you all alone in a cold dark house."

She picked up the cat and nuzzled him, breathing in the comforting, familiar scent of his thick fur. He purred, a deep throaty sound that melted her heart, and when she set him down again he promptly trotted to the door and then inside, waiting expectantly on the counter top for his meal.

Red laughed at his eagerness and opened a can of cat food, dumping it onto a plate for him. Then she set about getting ready. A bath was first, using the shampoo and soap and razor and lotions Tsugi had brought her days before. She was delighted to find deodorant and powder and a few cosmetics in the bottom of the bag. And absolutely best of all, a bottle of perfumed oil.

Lavender. Finally she would have an opportunity to smell like something other than dish soap and sweat.

She sank into the hot bathwater up to her shoulders, sighing in contentment. It was sheer bliss, the best bath she'd ever taken in her life. Layers of dirt came off, salt from her dip in the sea, months of oil and residue that had built up in her hair. The dish soap removed a lot of it, but left it feeling greasy and limp. Now, she washed it twice and rubbed conditioner through it, then tackled her fuzzy legs with the razor until they were as smooth as satin. She was extra careful around the site of the shin injury, which had healed now to the point of an ugly, knobby red scar. But it was a hell of a lot better than she'd hoped for.

Bandit jumped up on the counter to watch her, his green eyes unblinking. Red smiled at her friend and dunked under to rinse her hair, then leaned forward to pull the plug in the drain.

"Time to get dressed and head up to the house. I'm actually looking forward to this now, 'Bandeet'." She laughed slightly, standing up and reaching for a towel. "That's a cute variation on your name. I think it'll be your nickname now. Deeto. Avert your gaze, Deeto! I'm coming out."

She stepped onto the chilly tiled floor and rubbed herself dry with the towel, then began luxuriating in the gifts Tsugi had brought. She brushed her teeth, slathered on lotion, combed her hair and fluffed it lightly with her fingers to encourage the natural wild curls to form, glided on the deodorant and touched on the lavender perfume. Finally, when all else was done, she applied a little mascara and some blush. Lipstick. It had been ages since she'd spoiled herself this much, and she was almost embarrassed at how much she was enjoying it. The little things that a person on the run completely forget about in their struggle for survival and safety.

When she was ready to head up to the house for the evening, she picked Bandit up with one arm and put him over her shoulder, grabbing her backpack with the other. In it she'd packed the bathing supplies and a change of clothes in case she got dirty cleaning the upper floors. She had no idea what to expect up there, how bad it might be. But she was ready for absolutely anything. The sun was just beginning to set when she emerged from her cottage and began the slow trek up the hill to the Tremor house. A chilly, crisp autumnal wind swept yellow leaves around her in eddies. The moon, a touch shy of full, floated above the eastern treeline.

"We've fallen into a lucky break, Deeto." Red said softly, hugging his plump warm body tighter. The thought of all those cold, hungry nights that now lay behind her in the past flashed across her mind. Best not to dwell. Although her situation was much improved as far as food and shelter and possibly protection went, there were still immense complications to overcome.

But she seemed to have a gift for survival, if not for wisdom.

The windows of the house were yellow with warm lamplight. It looked cozy and comforting and solid and utterly charming sitting there against the dark pines on three sides. Red made for it, her booted feet thudding dully up stairs she still remembered all to well crawling up with a leg injury not that long ago. Briefly, she considered knocking. Was she supposed to? Or just walk right in? She turned the handle of the door and slipped inside, setting Bandit on the floor. The big cat immediately trotted off in search of Jeeves. Lester stood at the counter with his back to her. Red cleared her throat.

"Um...hello?"

His voice was gruff. "Take your goddamn boots off, don't go trackin' mud in here. I just washed the floor." He didn't turn around, a wicked-looking chef's knife in one hand and an onion in the other. With a rhythmic sound of metal on wood he expertly diced it and slid the little pieces into the steaming pot on the stove with the back of the knife. Red felt a little shy, especially after the way they'd parted earlier. She closed the door behind her and leaned down to untie her boots.

"I'm sorry about...you know. It's a sore subject."

They were alone in the kitchen, the others off in their rooms or outside. She sat down on a nearby chair to slide the boots off and pull up her socks. Lester set the blade down with a sigh and turned to pick up the coffee pot. He poured some into a mug and brought it to her, setting it on the table.

"We all got sore subjects. You will grow thicker skin in time, kiddo. It's still real fresh in yer mind at the moment. Don't you go apologizin'."

Red had no answer to this. She guiltily picked up the mug and took a sip. Then she made a face.

"Les...your coffee could eat the paint off a battle ship."

"Well thank Christ your throat ain't a battle ship. Shut up an' drink it."

"Did you call Darwin to come down and get me from the shore?"

"Yep." He was back at the counter now, prepping a potato for the soup.

Red didn't know whether to thank him or feel annoyed at the meddling. She pulled the sugar jar to her and dumped some of it into her coffee, completely dispensing with a spoon.

"I looked like an idiot in front of him. I would have been fine, I just needed time to clear my head. But he came down there and startled me and I slipped and he had to swim out and save me again. It was a disaster."

"Figured as much. The moment you were outta my sight I knew you'd be up ta somethin' stupid. There are chickens with more common sense. You better believe I got Dar on the walkie the moment you slammed that door. Might never have seen ya again if I hadn't."

Red's face flushed hot with embarrassment and anger.

"If you thought I was about to get myself killed somehow, why didn't you march out after me and do your own damn unnecessary babysitting?! Why involve Darwin?! I already look stupid enough in his eyes."

Lester glanced back at her over the tops of his glasses. He looked stern and paternal, his usual expression.

"It ain't my job ta go draggin' your ass back to the cottage and make ya settle on down. It is my job to finish up the laundry an' get food on the table. Then I gotta have a look at them layin' hens, make sure they're locked in tight for the night. We got foxes an' wolves around here, they'll clean out the coop faster'n you can spit."

"Spitting is a disgusting habit. I never spit."

"I reckon Dar'll be happy ta hear that from ya. Heh."

"You're a foul redneck, Lester Tremor."

He flashed her a grin, seemingly unperturbed by the comment, and went back to chopping.

"Put yer stuff in the guest room ya stayed in before. I got cleanin' supplies here for ya. Tackle them bathrooms on the upper floor, shouldn't take ya too long ta get rid o' the dust. I was up there not too terribly long ago. Maybe an hour fer all four bathrooms, tops. Come on down when ya finish. I should have dinner ready by then."

Red nodded, mollified, and went down the hall to the cozy little room she was daring to think of as hers.

Tsugi was in there when she arrived, just tucking in the fresh sheets. She turned and smiled when she saw her friend.

"You look gorgeous." she said softly, and Red beamed. It had been a long time since she'd been complimented and believed it. Going to the side of the bed, she set down her small bag and reached for the other end of the sheets, helping.

"I took a long hot bubble bath, put on the makeup you gave me, a little perfume, and suddenly I'm a different human being. I feel wonderful. Tsugi, I can't thank you enough."

"I know what it's like to be on the run, and to have no time for such pleasantries. But those days are hopefully over now."

They finished making the bed and pulled the thick quilt up, then fluffed the pillows. When it was done, Tsugi bundled up the old bedding and carried it to the door.

"I'm going to start the laundry so Les can focus on the chickens. We've been having some issues with predators lately. And don't tell Darwin, but there's a baby raccoon in a box in Jeeves's room. He found it earlier by itself in the field, no mother to be found anywhere. It's a very good possibility that she was killed. The poor little thing was starved half to death, but Jeeves brought it home and Les made up some formula to fill its belly. I hope your cat isn't frightened of strange creatures."

Red blinked, a little surprised at the sweetness of Jeeves and the fact that gruff, ornery Lester had gone to such lengths to help. She bit her lip.

"Bandit won't mind. But I'd like to ask that we keep him inside from now on. He came down the hill to find me earlier, and it scared me. Especially now that I know there are big scary forest things around. Hey, do you think Jeeves would mind my having a look at his new friend? I've never seen a baby raccoon before."

Tsugi smiled and together they walked out into the hall.

"I don't see why not. Just go tap on his door, he's in there being secretive." She slipped into the laundry room as they passed it, and Red went on to the closed door with the 'Keep out' sign taped to the center, the letters drawn in bold marker lest there be any mistake. She raised her hand and knocked.

"Who is it?" Came Jeeves's deep voice from the other side of the door. He sounded cautious. Bandit threaded his way through Red's ankles, hearing the voice of his beloved friend.

"It's me. I..." She lowered her voice to a whisper, "I heard you have a new addition in there. "

Silence. Then the handle turned, and the door slowly creaked open a little bit. A bright blue eye peered down at her appraisingly. Then the door opened all the way and he ushered both cat and woman in.

"Yew aren't gonna tell Darwin, right? He gets mad when I bring ma' fuzzies inside."

Red promised not to say a word. Satisfied, Jeeves sat down on the bed and patted his leg, inviting Bandit up for a snuggle. He nodded to a laundry basket in the corner by the heating vent. The basket was filled with towels, and when Red knelt by it and reached down to touch the top, a lump under the towels moved.

She pulled back the top layer to reveal a cute, tiny masked face. Glittery black eyes focused on her, and one wee little paw batted her hand. Her heart melted. It was so small, and so utterly adorable. This wild woodland waif.

Jeeves beamed at her from the bed, scrumpling Deeto's fur.

"Ain't he nice? Imma keep him."

"He's wonderful! You saved his life, Jeeves. You should be very proud!"

"Yeah, I heard him makin' an awful fuss an' I went over to see if he was alright. Sometimes there's old traps set up. People poach. I don't like them people, and if I catch them then they have a dead. But it was just this baby kitty there in the leaves. And he didn't have no momma. So I'm his momma now."

Red rubbed the raccoon's head, and it closed its eyes in pleasure. She paused, looking over her shoulder.

"Did...did you say 'kitty'?"

Jeeves nodded happily.

"Yeah. Now I got a kitty too! Like Bandit. Only this one looks real different. He's a special kitty. Imma name him Fluffkins."

It took Red the rest of the evening to wipe the silly grin off her face. Even on her hands an knees a half hour later, she was still laughing over the Special Kitty in the laundry basket.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

_Red paused in her narrative and took another drink from the bottle. Hollis watched her, fascinated not only by the story, but by the whole surreal situation. He pulled back the covers, and instantly the gun was raised again. He held up his hands._

"_Hey, can I take a piss? I'm not going to try anything." _

"_Fine. But leave the door open, and if I see you reach for anything other than your dick I'm blowing a hole in your back." _

_She didn't sound like she was kidding. Hollis got out of bed and backed away toward the bathroom. When he was inside, he turned away to go about his business. It was hard to say what he was feeling. Damn hung-over, of course. Scared shitless. But in an odd, detached sort of way. Those men who had shot up his friends and ruined his life by the lake so many years ago were taking shape in his mind. Becoming actual people, not just monsters. He wasn't sure he liked that very much. _

_Looking over his shoulder at the redhead, he cleared his throat uncomfortably._

"_Not used to having someone watch me pee."_

"_You act as though I care what you're used to. I'm not used to holding a gun."_

"_How the hell is that the case? You lived with murderers. Sounds like you slept with all of them, too. Pretty backwoods, if you ask me."_

_Red said nothing for a moment, clicking her tongue against her teeth speculatively._

"_You're missing the point. I was accepted for the first time somewhere. And I haven't even mentioned anything dirty. God, you low class men and your obsessions with the mating ritual. Is that really all that matters? Whether I tumbled into bed with my newfound friends? I didn't, you know. Not for a long time. They weren't like that."_

_Hollis flushed and grabbed a t-shirt from the floor, pulling it on. He picked up his jeans too, from where they lay in a heap by the door. _

"_They were garbage. If I'm about to die, then there's no reason for me to hold back, now is there. Point that gun at me all you want. The Tremor brothers were total garbage, and just because you were their whore doesn't make you special."_

"_I wasn't their whore. And I don't consider myself special. And I think you're garbage, Elmore. You've done nothing of value your whole life, and you sure as hell haven't impressed anyone. But the Tremors? Nothing like you. Even dead, they are more noble than you are. Now sit down, shut up, and listen. There's more. A lot more. And by God you will hear it all."_

* * *

While Lester prepared dinner, Red scrubbed toilets, dusted away cobwebs, made beds and ran the vacuum. It wasn't particularly hard work, but it was time consuming. And somehow, it made her feel good. This was something she could do. This was something that wasn't likely to kill her or anyone else. The house was beginning to fill with the pleasing aroma of fried chicken and boiled greens, corn and potatoes, and she could hear Tsugi laughing somewhere far off. Grinning to herself, Red moved to the last room and swung wide the door.

Instantly, she stopped dead in her tracks. It was some kind of storage room, filled nearly to ceiling with shelves. And on those carefully dusted shelves were guns, boots, long machetes in canvas sheaths, flak jackets, goggles. All the tools of the bloody trade in which the Tremor family seemed to find their niche. She put down her bucket and rag, moving into the room. Silent and wide-eyed.

There was a chair in the middle of the bare wooden floor, bolted down.

There were manacles on it. Across from the chair, on the wall, there was a video camera set up, pointed at the chair. And below the camera a combination television/VCR, a stack of tapes sat beside it, recessed into the paneling. Red approached it and studied the titles.

Casperson, July 3rd, 1998.

Cruise, August 4th, 2001.

Willender, December 1st, 2001.

A list of names, on tapes. And a chair. And a camera. Red took a deep breath and selected one of the tapes, sliding it into the machine. She hit the power button and the screen flickered to life.

At first there was nothing. Just a little fuzz, and then the room behind her appeared. Only it wasn't empty. There was a man strapped into the chair, his shirt cut open and his pale sweating chest exposed. He was glaring defiantly at someone off screen. Red hit the volume button, turning the sound all the way down before the man spoke or screamed or in any other way alerted the people downstairs to the fact that she was currently watching one of their home movies. She looked behind her apprehensively, but the coast appeared to be clear. Not a sound. So she turned her eyes back to the flickering screen, leaning in close.

The man in the chair was yelling something, his mouth was working and he tugged furiously at the restraints that held him down. Darwin appeared, turning a wooden chair around backwards and taking a seat on it languidly. As though he were having a conversation with the man, just two country boys shooting the breeze on a sunny afternoon. Everything about the Tremor chieftain was relaxed, calm, unhurried. He spoke to the man, and the man spit on him. Darwin casually wiped his face with a laugh and nodded to someone on the other side of the room. That's when Jeeves appeared, a pair of bolt cutters in his hand. He leaned down behind the man in the chair and did something that made the prisoner shriek and struggle, thrashing his head.

A few seconds later he held up a severed finger, handing it to Darwin.

"Yew shouldn't be in here."

Red jumped almost a foot, scrambling back and bumping her shoulder against a shelf. She looked guiltily up at Jeeves, who filled the doorway. Good God, she hadn't even heard him approach. How could someone so huge move so silently?

"I was just going to dust the shelves."

"They don't need dustin'. Lester cleans in here every week."

He didn't seem angry, this giant of a man with the great sad blue eyes. Red swallowed hard and reached over to slap her hand on the power button, turning off the television. There was a very long moment of dead silence, and they looked at each other.

"Jeeves…"

He moved closer to her, and Red was again forcefully reminded of a giant grizzly bear. His muscular body blocked her escape route, blocked the view of the window and the chair and the shelving. Then he leaned down, those Heaven-colored eyes inches from her own. His voice was a deep rumble in his chest, nearly a growl.

"Don't look at videos that yew don't have permission to see. I like yew. I don't wanna have to suss yew up, understand? But I will if Darwin tells me to. An' then yew'll be the one in the chair. An' it will say 'Red, September 2010', an' Bandit will be an orphan an' I'll have to take care of him."

Red was shaking so hard her knees felt like water. Her bladder was about to give way, she had a knot of frost in her stomach that was unbearable.

"N-no, Jeeves. Please. I won't…I don't care what you do for a living…"

He straightened up, towering over her like a thunderhead over a sapling, and reached out to touch her face.

"Juss don't go wanderin'. Not until Darwin says it's alright. I ain't gonna tattle on yew. Now come on downstairs an' have some dinner."

After Jeeves prowled out again without a backwards look, it took Red a full five minutes of deep breathing to regain her composure. Finally, she grabbed her bucket and carried it out of the room, shutting the door behind her, and went into the bathroom. She tipped the dirty water down the toilet and flushed, still shaking. Her face was white and scared in the mirror. The more she was learning the more frightened she felt. She kind of wished she could talk to Tsugi. The beautiful Asian with her poise and sense of calm always seemed to have an answer and a rationale for everything these men did. Red couldn't picture her taking part in torture, but she could certainly see her downstairs placidly stirring a pot of something on the stove, tuning out the screaming from the second floor, waiting for the men to finish and come down to dinner.

She tucked the empty bucket beneath the sink and washed her hands. It was useless to stand here in this cheery yellow bathroom with such dark thoughts in her head. Useless and ultimately even dangerous. Jeeves wasn't joking around, that much was clear. Red counted her fingers a few times, slowly, wondering how she would cope with missing one. The thought was not a pleasant one. What was that man in the chair to her? No doubt he had done something atrocious to compel someone to put a price on his head. She wondered how much the going rate was, and whether there was a payment plan.

A door slammed downstairs, and Darwin's voice could be heard as he greeted his brothers. Red quickly descended the stairs and slipped into the guest room, changing into clean blue jeans and one of Lester's checked shirts. She fluffed her hair with her fingers, dabbed on a little more lavender oil, and touched up her makeup. Then she went out into the kitchen to greet the killer who made her heart flutter.

The look in those blue eyes was all she needed to tell her that the bath and the makeup had improved her sufficiently, and she felt a little better about herself even in the company of Tsugi, who was rubbing Jeeves's shoulders again. Red flashed a smile at Darwin and moved forward to boldly kiss his cheek. Why not? He put an arm around her waist and held her there, and Red caught the look that passed between he and Lester.

"I…cleaned. Upstairs, in the bedrooms and the bathrooms. It wasn't all that bad actually. Just some dust, a few spider webs. But nothing I couldn't handle. Is there anything else I can do for you? I'm not half bad at yard work, you know. I can even run a lawn mower."

"Like I'd trust you with a dull pair o' safety scissors." Lester grumbled before Darwin could reply.

"Oh come on! Where did your faith in me go?!"

"Yer assumin' I ever had any faith in ya. Set the table."

"No, Red an' me are gonna take a walk. We'll be back in a bit. Keep a couple plates aside." Darwin's voice made no room for disagreement. Tsugi moved to the cupboard, getting down the plates, and Darwin took Red by the hand to lead her out onto the porch and then into the yard. It was a thrill, the feeling of his calloused fingers closing over hers.

Cicadas buzzed in the warm underbrush. Everywhere was the smell of green things growing, the world bursting open with ripe fecundity in all directions. To a person used to city life, Red was dazzled by the wild tangled country world she suddenly found herself in. They walked down the dusty two-track in the mellow golden light of afternoon, holding hands, saying nothing. And in that silence there was a sudden easy companionship that Red had never really felt before. They ambled on about a half mile before the tall country boy at her side spoke.

"I need to go away for a bit. Couple days, to Tennessee on a job. Wanted to ask you if you'd like to tag along."

She was momentarily stunned at the offer. Did they even know one another that well? Was this some kind of dirty weekend request? Did she have to go, as part of her agreement? Did she even want to go? Was this 'job' a cold blooded murder? Would there be torture involved, like on the tape? Would she have to sleep with him? Or just next to him, like before. Did he want her? If she went, would that mean they were 'together', and the Blood Oath would take effect? Why was she even considering this? She would be an accessory to a crime, maybe a bunch of them, if she went. This was a really stupid, risky venture. Only a complete idiot would even consider it. Everything in her said no.

"Yes." She blurted out, and blinked. They had come to a dead stop. She turned to him, a look of surprise on her face. But then she repeated it. "Yes."

Darwin nodded once, slowly. His expression didn't change. "Alright then. We leave in a week. Pack light."

"I can't pack any other way. I don't have anything."

"Yeah, about that. You'll have to take a look at what I brought you from town. Told you I had a few errands to run. I'll show you when we get back." He smiled charmingly. "Anyhow, I realize that you're still real new here and you're probably wonderin' why I'm askin' you to go with me. I ain't worried about you makin' a break for it. You won't be allowed to go off on your own, and if you try to escape from me out there...might put a bullet in you," He winked, "I don't like headaches. You gonna give me any trouble?"

"No. I want to stay."

"Alright then."

They started walking again, Darwin slightly in the lead. Ahead, through a break in the fragrant pine trees, they could see the glimmer of a small lake. Loons called to one another across the water, and a pair of deer drank quietly at the edge. It was a tranquil, rustic scene. Darwin took her hand again and drew her around in front of him, looking down into her eyes.

There was silence. The country boy with the Heavenly gaze winked at her.

"You scared of me?"

"Yes. Should I be?"

"It's natural to be scared of someone like me, a Tremor, but you have no reason to be. Not unless you rub me the wrong way."

"I don't want to rub you the wrong way," Red said, looking at the ground. She found herself unable to meet those bright eyes. There was an awkward pause. "Darwin. I'm not going to be worthy of you in a hundred years. I'm useless. Your brother had it right. I'm not all that pretty. But I like you. I'm sorry about that first night. When I came in to your room. But I want you to know...that was the best sleep of my life. Beside you."

"The harder Lester is on you, the more he likes you. Yeah, he'll cut you up with that sharp tongue of his, but he'd take a bullet for you without a second thought. Every leader needs a loyal lieutenant, and he's mine. And despite what he told you, you're worthy of me. You're useful. You're beautiful, and if the best sleep of your life is sleepin' next to me, then you can sleep next to me whenever you want...because I like you, too."

Red's eyes stung. She wanted to hug him, just ease into those arms and tilt her face up and feel those lips on hers and forget all about right and wrong, legal and illegal, danger and safety. She wanted Darwin Tremor to kiss her and maybe pick her up and set her on a black horse and ride off into the sunset together. Like the cover of a romance novel.

But this wasn't a romance novel. This was real life, and there was tension here. Good tension and bad tension.

"Am I allowed to have a phone? Can I drive into town whenever I like?"

"You really want to? Woman stumbles through her life, gettin' into trouble all over the place. Winds up somehow trippin' and fallin' into Heaven. You wanna risk it all?"

She thought about that for a moment. Then slowly she shook her head.

"I don't need a phone. And I don't need to drive."

Something akin to triumph flashed through his eyes.

"Damn right you don't. Just stay put, do as I say, work hard for this family and you'll have a decent enough life. I came to the conclusion that you can be trusted, after Lester told me that you've agreed to all our rules and regulations." He caught the look on her face, and smirked. "Oh yeah. He relayed to me that you were briefed on all the little details of the family structure. I've known by brother all his life, and he ain't been wrong about a person once. He trusts you. Think I can too. But I'm still keepin' close watch on you durin' this trip. I do like a gamble though."

Red found herself smiling back. Just a little, but it was there. Her hand bumped against his, then slipped into it. He closed his fingers around hers and rubbed her palm with his thumb.

"Darwin, your family are animals. You're scary and dangerous and you're a murderer, you don't appear to have a whole lot of morals and I'm worried that you're going to be worse for me than any other man I have ever known. And I don't want to be anywhere else but here."

He lowered his head slightly, no less imposing even when he came down to her height a little more. Whiskey on his breath, honey in his voice, seductive death in his eyes.

"Looks like you already know me real well. I'm touched."

"Do…do those blue eyes work on all the country girls?"

"Pretty much."

"They're working on me."

He touched her cheek then, and pulled her to him in the warm evening air.

"I'm gonna kiss you now, Red. Long, slow, and deep. Not on the throat this time. Not on the forehead. Not on the cheek. This ain't payment bein' demanded from you, and it sure as hell ain't because I'm hard up for female company. It's because I want to. You alright with that?"

There was no breath left in her lungs with which to answer him. She nodded dumbly, her cheeks crimson. And Darwin eased one hand into her curls and held her tight with the other, and their first real kiss was everything he said it would be. Long. Slow. Deep. Gentle. Filled with promise and protectiveness, a claiming and a yielding. He leaned her back against the rough bark of a tamarack, the passion rising in them like a campfire suddenly sparking to life. Stunned by the feelings she was experiencing and by her own behavior, Red shakily wrapped her arms around him and clung to him as tightly as he held her. His tongue touched hers, she reciprocated, there was no holding back between them and no desire to end this perfect moment.

Finally, after long minutes, he broke off the kiss and rested his forehead on hers. Both of them breathing heavily, eyes closed.

"That was…..s-something." Red whispered. Darwin licked her lower lip, and she shivered.

"You're cryin'."

"I know."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I haven't been kissed that way in a long time. It felt good."

"Hah! Plenty more where that came from." He chuckled warmly, and his hand dropped to her breast.

That's when everything changed. Red suddenly felt anger rise up in her chest, something close to hatred. She twisted away, hugging herself, her face a mask of anguish. All the warmth that had been building in her chest and even tingling in her stomach faded in a hot rush of that terrible fight or flight impulse that drives every animal from mouse to man to respond to a threat in one of two ways. Torn between wanting to move back into those arms and wanting to run until she passed out, Red crumpled to the chilly ground and glared up at Darwin.

He held his hands up, looking surprised for the first time since they'd met.

"Goddamn, Red. Red! Hey now, relax! What the hell did I do? I thought you wanted that."

"I'm not a thing!"

"No one's callin' you a thing!"

"I hate sex!"

"Uh…ok."

"It's torture! I only do it when I have to!"

He was about to respond, anger now coming into his eyes too, but then he seemed to think better of it. Slowly, like a man approaching a pissed-off cat, he moved a little closer and knelt down. Red eyed him warily, tears streaming down her cheeks. Confused and messed up and broken and angry and sad. Wanting him to damn well fix it or walk away. Nothing between. He wanted to help her? He showed her kindness? He kissed her and opened those doors she'd been trying to keep locked? Fine. Then he could fucking fix it all. Because she had no other saviors. And this was it.

"I'm not gonna force you. Relax, girl. This ain't what you think. Look, I shouldn't have rushed it like that. I misread your signals again. You send some real weird ones, Red. I don't even know how to respond. But it's gonna be alright. Come on now. Hush."

She let him take her into his arms again, and her stiff muscles eased.

"I'm sorry." Red whispered, horrified at herself. She was more damaged than she'd realized, and it was terrifying. Darwin hugged her a little tighter, his stubble scratching her forehead.

"I can't promise to do everythin' right, Red. You're one real challengin' puzzle. Intriguin', but damn difficult. I don't know why I ain't just washed my hands of you yet, all this patience and kindness ain't in me. Not for a long time. Not since the early days with Tanya, and even then it wasn't like this. She was broken too, real bad. Tried to love her whole again but that didn't work out so well. I can't promise to fix all this. But I can promise one thing. I am gonna find the sumbitch who turned you into this scared, flinchin' wreck of a woman I got in my arms. You don't need to worry about him huntin' for you. Because I'll be huntin' for his ass first. And when I find him, I'm gonna skin him alive. That ain't a metaphor, either."

Red raised her face to look at him. And in that moment, she knew he would do it.

"Take me to bed with you tonight. Not for…you know. Just take me to bed."

He stood up, helping her to her feet, and together they started walking back to the house. To dinner and the fireplace and the family waiting for them. Darwin held her hand and didn't let it go.

"Better believe I will. That's where you belong."


End file.
